A Man Without a Hearth
by CourtingTheMoon
Summary: Hopeless and on the streets a distraught Percy Jackson has not been seen for years, but now there is one person that needs him more than ever and she needs him now. Who will find the hero of heroes? Who will fix him? Can it get any better? Remember, hope always survives best at the hearth, but what if you don't have a hearth to come home to?
1. Nothing left

**A/N: This is the first of the stories that I have planned and most likely the darkest so be aware of the Hurt/Comfort. I do want to hear from all of you about what you think of it and get your desires of what you want to see so please review and pm me about it. **

**Now this is Percy/Hestia and is A/U so hopefully you all like it. There isn't any bashing of characters except some self bashing of Percy so not trying to step on any toes. And please give it a try.**

**And sorry if this isn't updated daily like you want, I don't have as much time set aside to type as I'd like and I am not that good, for that I suggest Anaklusmos14 for that because he is the best author I've found on this site. But try this out and give me a ring about it. **

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**A Man Without a Hearth**

CH. 1

Nothing Left

…

Aquaphobia is not something that a man like him should have. He was born to be in water, born to the king of the seas himself but this man fears what he is drenched in now. The water dripping off of his unkempt void black and ghostly gray hair and beard. His wild green eyes have lost their color, formerly a color reminiscent of the sea, now a gray-green that leaves nothing of wonder, only pity.

The man was soaked because he was screaming again; this was a normal thing and was the reason he couldn't stay in the same place twice. And honestly the water from the trash can was the better of two options that the other man could have used to wake him up, seeing as it was still early enough for there to be embers glowing in the can used for the fire last night. But both have been used on the aquaphobiac and he would have preferred the burning bits of paper and wood that might warm him instead of the very substance that mocked him from the day he emerged from the pit.

The water was followed now by a foot, "You just cheated me of my beauty rest punk." The grungy man growled. "Why don't you just go to the next overpass and leave us be freak."

No fight responded to it, and why would there be. The man he just kicked hasn't spoken a word for the last 7 years, commonly known amongst their kind as the 'hopeless' one.

The hopeless one just shuffled away, his eyes looking as lost as always and just leaving in silence like he usually would and avoiding the crowds of onlookers the best he could. This was what he expected to find in this city just like the others, he had been kicked out of every major city's homeless community from Miami to Seattle so why would Portland be different. He knew that there was water here, and plenty of it and it frightened him, the rain always threatening to drown him again. But he had to make sure that he was never found again, but he was literally running from Fate.

_You are needed again Perseus. Go home to the Hearth._

The voices continued like that for the last 7 years now and the only thing he could do is continue on with his numb life. Nothing left.

He had tried to end it too, stabbing himself in the chest a few time to only feel a little tingle have the wound heal. He tried the spot that used to be his mortal point only to feel the same tingle. When in Los Angeles he walked into a gang territory and attempted to get shot a few times, and he did. But there is a reason that if he ever went to California again that someone that saw him would run away screaming something about a ghost.

Once when he felt daring he jumped into a fire, another time he laid down on a railroad track and even another time climbed a lightning rod in the middle of a tornado in Kansas only to be hit by lightning, knocked out and to wake up with a nice little note that said _Not Yet._

They were mocking him, the fates. He had lived a life that they wanted that left him with nothing and broken, no family, no life; only fear and depression. And he couldn't stop any of it because they weren't done destroying him yet. Obviously he had more to give if they wouldn't let him finish it. Not even allowing him to commit suicide and receiving eternal punishment was good enough for the Fates, no they needed him to suffer more and that is why he wouldn't listen when the three sisters tried to get him to go back to the ones he let down. No he wouldn't… couldn't face any of them again. Not after the war, not the deaths.

And all of this started because he had to save her, had to be brave for her and had to take it all. He wasn't bitter about it, no he would do it again because that is who he was, he blamed the bitch that he killed for the troubles he want through not the girl that he saved so many times. But he couldn't live through all the pain, the fear and the utter torture that the pit offered him. No, he died when he fell that day and he knew it, the only ones denying it were the fates and the hopeful. But Percy had no hope, not since Tartarus.

…

_The looks he received were dangerous, not anger but pity and sadness. It was dangerous because the only thing he felt was regret and a sadness that would never be fixed. His eyes had dimed since the pit, his gray strip of hair on his head had spread to make his hair a salt and pepper look that reminded him of one of the people he lost, it was similar to his high school english teacher, his step-father and mother had been killed before he could comeback and see them after he was taken to the roman camp. No goodbye or even a hello. He was ripped away from his life for a good purpose only for his life to be ripped away from him because he couldn't do enough. _

"_Hey Perce!" The small Latino elf called out to him. _

"_Leo." Percy responded with a smile, not his smile but one that could be used to fool those that didn't want to look far enough. _

"_Annabeth and I got Fest' fitted for some naval excursions and we were wondering if you wanted to help with testing, Aquaman?" Leo didn't notice the flinch that Percy made, and just like everyone else he didn't seem to notice that Percy hadn't even used his water powers in the month and a half that they had been back from Greece; since he turned down immortality for a second time because he knew that he couldn't live anymore, even though he told everyone else to take it and surprised them all when using his end of the war wish to get the demigods better lives and ensuring peace. _

"_Nah man, you and Annabeth have been working all week on this and I know that with the Daedalus laptop and that Archimedes ball of yours that it is all working great. I'm just going for a walk so I'll see you at dinner alright?" Percy was walking away before he got a response. He was headed for the forest away from the creek; hopefully he could clear his head there. _

"_Well… Ok." Leo sounded slightly defeated but didn't catch on to the underlying defeat that had been lacing Percy's voice since the 'victory'._

…

_The screaming started earlier tonight and the restless campers who were still awake heard the torturous cries that came form the Poseidon cabin. Annabeth, Jason and Chiron were the first to make it in to see Percy in bed but with his back arched a good foot off the bed in pain, the scars and sweat very visible on his bare chest. All three had seen the marks before but the cries were new. _

_Annabeth sat on the bad quickly putting her hands on Percy's shoulders trying to wake him. Jason watched as his brother's face went from the pain and anguish that it was in it's sleep to wake up and bolt up in surprise before morphing the same mask he used for the last 3 months, one of sarcasm and humor. _

_Percy tried to play it off; Jason didn't believe it because he could feel some of the same emotions that Percy felt now, the defeat and the self-loathing that they both received from the war. Chiron had realization of what was happening, having seen it himself several times in his teaching, the war-torn emotions that Percy was currently fighting were a common place for those that had lost so much. And Annabeth knew Percy better than that; she knew that he hurt more than all of them because he was the one to carry the world on his shoulders so that no one else had to. _

_Percy wouldn't falter on his mask though, pushing them out of his cabin telling them to get their rest for activities tomorrow. _

_But when they left Percy couldn't go back to sleep; the marks that marred his skin were throbbing in remembrance. So Percy went over to the box he kept on his dresser pulling out the pictures that held most of his pain. There was the one of Piper kissing Jason on the cheek while they watched the sunset on the Argo 2 that Leo took as blackmail. Tyson and Clarisse posing with Percy, Grover and Annabeth with the fleece brought back the memories of the better days. Travis carrying Percy on his and Connors shoulders after capture the flag, and Reyna in a picture that was taken at the feast of Fortuna after the battle of New Rome. Nico was in a photo from his birthday all those years ago, blue frosting all over his face. Then finally a picture that Sally and Paul insisted on taking with Percy when they went to Montauk a week after the Battle of Manhattan with Annabeth. _

_These weren't the only ones that died in the war but three of them died protecting someone else, Piper taking an arrow for Jason that was laced in Centaur blood, Travis fought the Minotaur and two cyclops by himself so that Connor could carry Katie to the Apollo campers and Tyson in his innocence had joined Percy in a fight with Leon, the lion giant before they had any gods for help and held the maw of the giant open so that it didn't eat Percy. Clarisse fought harder than anyone else and was killed when she fought the giant bane of Ares to a stalemate with the help of Percy before he was distracted by Gaia herself and she was killed by a lucky shot. Reyna had been slain by that traitor Octavian while the Romans were heading to battle against the giants, it was Jason that finally caught the spy and with his rage ripped the head with the silver tongue right off the twig of a body. _

_It was Nico that found the doors of Death on the other side and after getting the pair out closed the door the only way they could be, sacrifice._

_And then his parents had been the trigger for Percy's final rage, the one that ended the war. Gaia had kidnapped them and was using them to stop Percy from fighting, and had Percy been told that she had them he wouldn't have fought but Annabeth had intercepted the message and Sally told her not to let Percy know. Paul was able to stab Porphyrion with a fallen spear that made the giant crush him with his foot and Percy's mom was pierced through he chest with the monster's spear. And it was their blood that soaked into the earth and gave Gaia her body and fully awoke her. _

_It was because Percy saw their bodies that caused him to go into such a blinding rage that allowed him to summon so much power that he shook the earth below Gaia's feet knocking her largest son and herself to the ground only for Porphyrion to be beheaded by Percy and for Gaia to be fought by Percy to the point where he drove his sword through her heart and twisted it while she choked on the ichor that crept out of her mouth. _

_The Moirai had come and collected the body of Gaia that hadn't dissolved like all the rest, it was them that announced to the council of the god that Percy had fought her with such power and force in his aura that had forced her soul to fade out of her body, ending the threat of there ever being another war with Gaia again. _

_But all of this still burned Percy. His parents had been killed because he couldn't protect them, all of his friends died because he wasn't strong enough, some of them died because he left them alone for too long and he was angry, angry at himself because it was all his fault. _

…

He killed them and he knew it. Some argued with him before and still the voices are telling him that he didn't but Percy knows that they lie to him. Just like saying he is needed, no one needs a murderer. And Percy was the worst kind, how many innocents died because of him and how many more trusted him and he killed them.

Some still call him a hero, not that he knows. But Percy knows better then all of them. He knows the truth, because Percy was the one to do it all, he lives with the weight on his shoulders so he knows that he did it.

Percy Jackson was no hero. No, Percy Jackson was a monster and now the monster supposed to die. Just like all those he killed before, Percy should be dead.

…

"_Are you sure about this man? I mean it has always been you two and I know that you two will get back together again. I can't compete with you." _

"_Leo, I am positive. You will make her happier than I ever did. You two actually have interests in common and you know that we haven't been the same since Tartarus. I want you to make her and yourself happy." 'And you won't have Athena watching your every move because of your father.' He added silently. _

"_But dude, you and Annabeth… Are you sure? I mean she likes me?" Leo asked hopefully. _

"_I know she does, besides we had our break up like 2 months ago, that is plenty of time to wait for it to cool down Fireboy." _

"_Okay if you say so…" Leo said looking for any sign of deception or regret in Percy's eyes, but as usual he couldn't read anything off of the son of Poseidon. "Well then, I have a date then with a beautiful daughter of Athena and a happy dragon, see you later Perce."_

_This was just another thing that Percy had started to do, he was trying to make everyone happy. Jason was currently in a 'close-friends' relationship with Lou-Ellen from Hecate cabin, he seemed to be doing better after Percy talked him out of blaming himself for Piper or Reyna's death, both of which would have hurt Jason if they knew he blamed himself. So even though Percy still took all the blame internally it was simple enough to get Jason to get over it. Katie and Connor were there to comfort each other but Percy gave them the final push by scheduling them together for almost everything. Chris had started to see Kinzie from the Amazon when they opened up a branch in New York so they could be better connected to Camp Olympus. Frank and Hazel were happy enough together and Leo had just been set up with Percy's ex because he knew that they were better for each other than for Annabeth to waste her time on a broken man. _

_Several of his friends still worried about Percy but he was too stubborn with his mask of joy to let them see that he was frozen on the inside. He was able to avoid water for the most part, never having anything but regular cherry coke to drink at dinner and juices for other meals, never going swimming and using clean wipes for showers instead of the stalls in the bathrooms. He even puts himself on flag duty during capture the flag so he wouldn't have to be near the creek. _

_But as long as his mask was up no one noticed Percy's pain, even Chiron was waning on his belief that Percy needed help, he was stubborn but not enough to go an entire year with a mask on, he must have been doing better. _

_But one person was strangely watching Percy throughout the year, Dionysus was no longer the camp councilor for the brats because one of them wanted to have a camp united and happy, but it was that brat that he worried would be the first to fall into his domain. Hearing that the boy had gone so far as knocking out that Anna-Marie girl and made it through the center of Tartarus with only his own wits and strength, which Perry had a surprising amount of both, would have strained his mind beyond what it could handle so surely he would have some problem, then losing his mother would have pushed him farther. The god of madness had felt the insanity encroaching on the boy while he singlehandedly fought mother earth but that was when the mask went up, when the boy stopped showing his emotions and cause many to worry. _

_Only one watched Percy with more interest than the god of wine, Hestia was watching the man that she would openly admit to be her favorite person ever. And she was worried because while he was sacrificing to her and his father she could see that he had started to sacrifice more and when he left there was still more on his plate. That and he had stopped praying all together, he used to pray just to talk to her and Poseidon but he wasn't doing any of it anymore and she was worrying about him. _

_It was a month later that the two gods found their worries to be true. He had started waning his contact with everyone inconspicuously before simply vanishing one day for no one to be able to find him. And it was seven years ago that this all happened. _

_It was seven years ago that Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, Hero of Olympus, Praetor of the twelfth legion, Terror of Monsters, Bane of Titans, Destroyer of Giants and Slayer of the earth itself vanished from the world. _

…

His masked had long since burnt away, leaving the broken man to weather all storms, but when a time comes when he is needed again will there be anything left to help?

Percy had given up eating all together 5 years ago; his ribs were always evident through his ghostly pale skin. His shirt and jacket looked like they could have fit his father in his godly form, they were so large on his brittle frame. His beard; it was knotted and dirty from the lack of ever cleaning it, but then again so was everything about him. His hair met his shoulder blades and still seemed to be even parts of the blackest of blacks and a silvery gray from the unholy stresses this one body has endured. He wore some jeans that had long ago lost the left pant leg, showing off a leg riddle of scars that no one could decipher from where they originated but Percy knew the look of the claw and blade marks like the back of his hand because even to this day they still throb when ever Percy forgets to numb his entire body.

And to finish his look he had no shoes or socks to cover his feet, feet that were identical to each other from the grotesque amount of dirt on them to the one vertical scar that only Percy knew was from a scythe blade being stabbed into feet before he was allowed to leave Tartarus, scars that made walking a pain even though that is all he ever does.

These scars are from fighting almost as much as they are from the deal he struck up in Tartarus to ensure Annabeth's safety and their escape. A deal that changed him almost equal to the tortures that the nature of Tartarus showed him. His greatest fears were thrown at him only to later be matched by a grandfather that has anger problems.

Now all Percy had were scars, physical and mental. So to him he had nothing left.

**Now you review it. Just hit the pretty button down there! VVVVVV**


	2. Olympus is Cold

**A/N: Wasn't planning this but I felt you all deserved a little peak at what the story will be about so here is the next chapter. And remember to review and pm me, I am still writing this so I need your opinions to make it as good as I can. Enjoy. **

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**A Man Without a Hearth**

Ch. 2

Olympus is cold

…

Olympus wasn't known to be cold; only on the most dreaded of occasions has Olympus ever been silent. The four wars could be seen as such occasions, and then there was the announcement of the missing hero. Perseus Jackson's disappearance had made Olympus go silent and the hearth has been cooling ever since.

It was the fire of home that kept Olympus warm, and with the loss of the hopeful hero, the goddess that tended the flame began to wither. It took a while for people to notice sadly, she was the forgotten goddess for a reason. But Artemis and Athena both noticed that she wasn't tending the hearth for more than one meeting in a row, and that was not a promising sight. With a search they eventually found the goddess curled up in the fetal position in a garden in the back of Olympus away from all activity, above her was a _Guardian of Olympus _or so the statues were called. All were of Percy Jackson, the hero above all. Statues that stood to protect Olympus from intruders in the future; Annabeth took the idea from the automatons in New York and transferred the idea to Olympus.

But the goddess was in what looked like a troubled sleep, shuddering at random times but wouldn't wake up. Artemis and Athena both worried heavily now for their aunt and went to pick up the 8 year old goddess only then to realize she was wrapped around something in her fallen state. Not just anything though, an ancient pithos that Athena recognized with a gasp.

"Artemis, that is Pandora's pithos." Artemis gave her own gasp.

The two sisters debated a while before deciding to move their aunt, conjuring a stretcher and carrying her to Apollo's temple.

Artemis banged on the door only to be answered by a glum looking Apollo, for the few years that Percy has been missing all the gods that had personally met him were all lower than they usually were, and Apollo was one of them, especially because he couldn't get a prophecy about his whereabouts.

When Apollo opened the door and saw his comatose aunt. He brought all of them to the infirmary area of his palace, placing Hestia on one of the beds and then standing over her chanting quietly in Ancient Greek with a godly golden aura shining down on her from his glowing hands.

While he was doing this, the sisters just stood watching not able to discuss more, and none of them dared to try and remove the pithos that resided in her clutch.

It was a full 30 minutes later that Apollo turned wearily to his sisters, obviously straining himself with putting so much energy into Hestia.

"What happened?" He asked.

So Artemis explained to him how they found her, Athena adding in her own observations. The two covered everything they knew including the identity of the pithos that was so tightly clutched in the hands of the 8 year old. It was then that the lights seemed to dim, Apollo's eyes widened and started to glow green and the ominous green smoke drifted into the room. The chorus of three sisters replaced Apollo's voice:

_The hero afraid of his seas_

_Has brought the world to its knees_

_The earth claims his last hope_

_The original held at throat_

_Fading is the one that is broken_

_A goddess needing the one not spoken_

_Hearth dies for all days_

_If love not brought from its haze_

_A daughter brought from flame_

_Bringer of hope; of the name_

_Darkness and cold soon to flee_

_But only with the greatest one's recovery_

Apollo crashed to the floor quickly, his breathing heavily weighted. Neither Artemis nor Athena were able to help him after hearing the prophecy.

It obviously about Hestia and if Athena's brain was right it meant that Hestia was fading and their only hope was a hero. But the only hero that had brought the world to its knees was Percy Jackson himself. '_A hero afraid of his seas' _No! Athena gasped.

Percy Jackson was afraid of the water, and then he must have run away in shame that he couldn't face his own father's domain. So that means that Percy has to save Hestia? But why?

Athena was still trying to run through it all in her mind when Artemis finally noticed her brother on the floor breathing heavily from the strain of not only the healing but also an extremely powerful prophecy.

Artemis got Apollo in the next bed and got him a large helping of nectar before he was able to stabilize his breathing. She then turned back to Athena who was lost in her thoughts, burning through all the theories she could about what was happening.

"We need to bring this to the council." Artemis stated quickly, breaking Athena out of her musings.

"I'll get them, you bring Apollo once he is stable." Athena stated before flashing out.

…

The council was gathered around before the last 3 flashed in, Apollo was heavily leaning on Athena and Artemis as they carried him to his throne and assuming their own places.

"Daughters what is this about, we just dismissed the council, I am sure what ever your did to Apollo could have waited until tomorrow." Zeus grumbled a little because it looked like Artemis and Apollo had another fight.

Artemis spoke, "No father we have found Hestia; who hasn't been attending her hearth lately. She is fading." It was rather blunt and had a large effect on the council. Gasps were heard all around, Aphrodite even began to tear up, Poseidon paled and everyone was in a saddened state.

Athena broke in though, "But we have a prophecy that may save her." Some grew worried; others had a hopeful gleam in their eyes, and still some were hopelessly depressed.

"Well what is it?" Ares was as impatient as ever, even when he had found peace between his aspects.

With a slight reluctance Athena recited the prophecy, at first some were confused, others grew more worried, and Aphrodite only perked up at the word '_love'. _The elders on the council seemed worried about losing their sister, the younger ones of their aunt.

But then Athena decided to share her theory, "I believe this prophecy is about Hestia and Perseus."

Poseidon was as white as Hades as was most of the council, but Zeus and Ares were both confused.

"But my son has been dead for millennia and there is no way that he would be afraid of Poseidon's waters, he lived a happy life, how could this be about him?" Zeus spoke, and Ares gave a ghostly nod of his head, still holding a generally confused face.

"No father, I mean Perseus Jackson." Athena snapped, as always angered by ignorance.

Poseidon started to piece together some of the words now, "Wait, it can't be Percy. He is my son, and has always been fond of his powers there is no way that he would be afraid of the seas. No he is off somewhere on an island for some peace and quiet." That was always what Poseidon hoped; he had hoped that Percy had found someplace safe and quiet just to clear his head after so many years of war at a young age.

"I think that is why he ran away, he was embarrassed by his aquaphobia, I don't know how he got it but it has to be him, no one else has ever brought the world to it's knees. His earthquake during the final battle with Gaea had driven her to her knees along with most of us, it is only probable that it is him." Athena had her lecturing voice on, one best seen with a teacher or one of her children who happens to be talking at any time.

"Okay but who is this 'daughter brought from flame'? A fire-user daughter of Hephaestus perhaps?" Hera offered. She wasn't proud that her children didn't keep true to their marriages but she was fond of his last fire-using child, Leo.

"It is not common that I make more than one fire-user at a time, that has only happened once and they were 80 years apart." Hephaestus reasoned.

"No, that isn't it." Artemis said, "If this prophecy is about Hestia then it will be her child, she is just as much a fire goddess as you are a fire god Hephaestus."

"Hestia won't have a child, she made a vow!" Zeus cried indignantly.

"Yes she will." Zeus' head snapped towards the offending speaker, "It says that love will be brought from its haze, that is the love that Hestia has for the hero, obviously she started fading the same time that Percy left." Aphrodite supplied, surprising many of them that she could think logically at all. "I don't know how I missed it, I always try to get you virgin goddesses to give up on your silliness but I was too stuck on the perfection of my favorite couple that I ruled out other options. I worked so hard on Percabeth only for it to fail because Percy is supposed to be with Hestia!" She looked as if she had just found out the reason of life, her smile was so big.

"We still haven't decided it was Percy," Poseidon protested, "It could be anyone else, I mean why does it have to be Percy, he has been through so much and he is finally away from all this prophecy garbage. I just want my son to be happy." He started to sound desperate and was receiving pitiful glances from council members.

"Well I believe that it is obvious that Perseus is this hero but it seems it could turn out well for him." Artemis stated, "it says 'Darkness and cold soon to flee' that means that as long as we find Perseus and bring him back to Hestia and then everything will be better." Artemis said optimistically, obviously trying to cheer up those that were not looking less than hopeful.

"But it does say that Hestia would fade if we don't find him and no one knows where he is." Athena had to state with no emotion at all. But her face immediately showed regret when Poseidon started to vocally sob.

Despite his face showing immense displeasure Zeus reached over from his throne and patted Poseidon on the back in a 'manly' way of comfort.

Demeter tried to supply her own comfort, "The boy is very strong and a great hero, we will find him because he is needed." This wasn't the most comforting thing to say to Poseidon, as he didn't want his son needed but still the certainty that they would find him was nice.

"Yeah we will find Perce real quick if we all look, the reason we didn't get any prophecies for him before was because it wasn't time yet, but now we are going to get him." Hermes sounded happier than anyone else, but that may be because of the need he had for finding Percy and the optimism that he always has.

…

The council meeting had continued and ideas were spread around to figure out how to find the son of Poseidon. Athena had ruled out the seas and coastal locations but kept open the options abroad and others that would have before been ruled out, like previous hideouts and stops made on quests, she stayed on Olympus running an HQ with maps and charts to check the entire globe. Poseidon though was too distraught to do anything so after his domain was ruled out he stayed in his throne in a state of depression waiting for news of his son.

Artemis had immediately gathered her hunters and started their quest with the use of three of the more respectful fauns and her wolves all searching for the scent of the sea where is didn't belong. Hermes and Apollo both searched from the air, one flying above the other driving, but they both were reaching out with their godly senses. Demeter began to search throughout the world with the help of Persephone, Hera and Aphrodite. Zeus rallied the storm spirits and the winds and ordered them to search for him. Dionysus did the same with the nature spirits and the satyrs/fauns. Hephaestus went to his forge and created countless automatons of small sizes that began their search for Percy Jackson in any location they could access. All were using godly senses to identify the scent of the sea that isolated him specifically.

Ares drew the short straw because he didn't volunteer for any other form of searching. He was in charge of informing Camp Olympus and send out quests for the hero.

"Lord Ares," Chiron bowed before the god of war, "What can I do for you? Your children are currently in the sword arena if that is what you are looking for."

"No Chiron, I need you to get all the camp leaders or what ever and bring them here, the immortals too." Ares grunted; it was amazing how he could grunt such a sentence but with the displeasure of his job was seeping through him. He never was such a fan of that Jackson punk but he would make a good punching bag when he got back. And Ares didn't want to see his aunt fade, she was kind to him when he was young so the god owed her, albeit begrudgingly.

"Is there a problem?" The centaur asked.

"A prophecy came from Apollo, now we need a few quests to go out." Ares replied.

"Of course then" Chiron then cantered off to begin rounding up the camp leaders and the immortal instructors.

Ares makes his way into the war room, ever since the camp merge there was an actual war room now, a round table that could hold near 50 campers, all of the eldest of the gods as well as elected campers and the immortals to all sit and debate about the camp.

It was Jason that entered first followed by Lou-Ellen who was holding his hand and a rather eccentric boy of Apollo named Will, all of them immortal for the effort they put into the wars and surviving.

They were followed by a few of the cabin leaders; Lacy, Colton, Henry, Jonathan, Fiona, Alicia and Greg from Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hecate, Athena, Ares, Nike and Demeter cabin respectfully.

This was followed by Connor and Katie Stoll who at the age of 23 were expecting their first child in a few months. Frank and Hazel followed next with Hazel still wearing an impressive golden ring on her finger with Chinese symbols wrapping around it and a large stone perched on top.

Next to arrive in a wave were the councilors of Hypnos, Zeus, Hermes, Apollo, Bellona, Dionysus, Eros, Nemesis, Eris, Morpheus, the wind gods and Iris cabins; Cinna, Hector, Nicola, Bob, Patrick, Sarah, Naomi, Victor, Natasha, Luigi, Harry, Bruce, Clark and Brenda. Along with the elected war leaders of the camp Orion, son of Zeus, Martha, Daughter of Mars, Cliff, son of Athena and Jedediah, son of Tyche.

Almost immediately after that is the pair of Annabeth and Leo, one covered in soot and with a singed left eyebrow. Following them was the rest of the camp leaders and the other immortals. Everyone took their seats and looked at Ares expectantly but none talked realizing that they were waiting for Chiron to arrive which he did shortly after coming through the door surprisingly accompanied by Lupa and the frizzy haired oracle, Rachel on his back.

Once everyone was around the table Ares stood, after combining his aspects he has gotten some of the mannerism of Roman leadership in his regular life. "A prophecy has been ordered and we need you kids to find a hero." A few of the more ADHD children started to whisper amongst themselves.

"What kind of hero Lord Ares?" Lupa asked still in the form of a giant wolf standing at the side of the table.

"We have to find Percy Jackson." Ares stated bluntly looking straight at the oracle, as if trying to will her to go into a trance.

Chaos erupted amongst the councilors, almost all of them wished to be as good as the man that had saved the world. Only the immortals and a few of the older councilors had ever met the hero, and those that had grown excited, worried and depressed at this. Annabeth and the rest of the surviving seven eyes went far away, obviously remembering something of the past.

Chiron looked every bit the thousands of years of his age at the simple name of his lost child. And Lupa, the great wolf shifted into her human form, something she began doing more often when she started to spend more time in the camps; and in the form of a beautiful woman she fell in to the chair a face of focus and sadness.

The only person to speak was the elected son of Zeus, Orion, "How do we find a man who is probably dead? I mean he is old now, without immortality he is getting weary and all alone his scent would have called the monsters to him. There is no way that he is still alive, I mean I couldn't live in the mortal world because of my scent and his must be so strong because of his age now." There was a pride to his voice that suggested that he was pompous but no one could speak any wrong of Percy Jackson, the hero of heroes, and the reason that most of them even found camp or were claimed.

Ares sneered at the punk not liking being questioned, "There is a prophecy that requires him and we will have to find him, the entire council is currently scouting for him, Athena herself is coordinating the efforts."

Annabeth perked up at the mention of her mother; there was always a connection between the mother/daughter intellects that pushed them together. "What is the prophecy?"

Ares put on a look of thought, it wasn't truly decided if they would tell the demigods the prophecy, seeing as it didn't tell them where he was but it wouldn't hurt for them to know. Give them urgency to hear that a goddess was fading. So Ares recited the prophecy to them, the entire room silent except for the prophecy and the sound of a few legs rubbing together in anxiety.

When Ares was finished he continued with the thoughts, "Athena has come to believe that this prophecy states that Hestia is fading fast and that she needs the help of Jackson or she will be gone forever. We aren't sure of all of it for it could have several meanings but it is believed that we have to reunite them or she will fade and Olympus will fall into darkness because of the loss of the hearth, a crucial part of the life of the place." He explained.

Annabeth had a look on her face, exactly like her mother when she had heard the prophecy and was running through the possibilities. But while she did that Leo piped in, "It said a daughter brought from flame, does that have anything to do with this?" He asked while simultaneously lighting his hand on fire.

"We believe that the daughter will be Jackson's and Hestia's, or at least that is the best theory." Ares grunted.

"What does it mean of the earth claiming his last hope? We beat Gaia, Percy did. She faded so there is no way that the earth can claim his last hope." Jason argued, supplying his own thoughts.

Annabeth was the one to reply, always ready with her two drachmas, "The earth can claim things in more than one way. It could mean that he has to bury something or someone. Or maybe an earthly natural disaster, they have been happening recently around the world and Lord Poseidon denied any responsibility."

It was finally the elected leader Jedediah that was able to get his words in to ask the most important question, "How do we find Percy then?"

It was at those words that the room darkened, a green mist formed and Rachel's eyes became an unnatural green instead of her regularly pleasant green emerald eyes.

_The huntress watches the trail_

_The hero turning frail_

_Hidden with the soldier of old_

_Darkness weakens its hold_

_Path followed by Luck and Love_

_Giving the hero a final shove_

_Three heroes leave for the quest_

_To find the sea's very best_

_The son of Luck falls to Death_

_Bringing a new breath_

_Lead by the daughter of the sky _

_Find the hero that cannot die_

_Four find home again_

_But return without him_

"That doesn't sound good." Connor Stoll blurted out as a pregnant Katie who was sitting next to the redhead was helping Rachel back into her seat.

It was Jedediah again that responded, "No, it doesn't."

"We will have to call lady Artemis, my sister is the only daughter of the sky that can go on quests." Jason submitted.

Chiron decided to speak then, "Yes we will have to send word immediately for a rendezvous. It is too long of a wait to wait on them to arrive. And them we have two more companions to Thalia, children of Aphrodite or Eros and then I believe Jedediah, as the only son of Tyche of age for a quest."

"So we will send Jedediah to his death just to get a hero that the gods could find?" Martha asked, Jedediah and her came to camp together and she thought of him as the younger brother she enjoyed to wail on when he got all snarky.

"While the prophecy is most foreboding I still find that the odds are even on my death at the moment Mar', so I will go." Jedediah stood up, looking around for anyone to question him, and no one could think of it as the 15 year old stood and looked at all of them.

"I will go to," A feminine voice came up behind the large 18-year-old Colton, son of Hephaestus. Lacy stood up from behind her boyfriend at her height of 5'8" she looked every bit the beauty queen that all Aphrodite girls become, he long blond hair in waves down her back, "I am the oldest child of love that isn't retired and with a family so I will go, it will do well because Percy will remember me too, it will help if I get to him before Thalia if we get separated." Not many could argue with her, not many would want to, she was the only daughter of Aphrodite left in camp that had been trained by The Piper, she was known as a wicked fighter with a knife and was highly opinionated and fought for it.

Chiron nodded at both of his standing campers, proud of what they were willing to do for a goddess they never actually met and a hero they all strived for.

"Wait," the voice came out from the son of Athena elect, Cliff, "The prophecy says that you are going to fail, there is no reason to go out and risk your lives so that you will be killed for nothing." This received a few tentative nods before Jedediah looked at his brother in arms and said what needed to be said.

"If we are not willing to try for the greatest of us then what of the rest?" And then he walked out, followed shortly by Lacy after she kissed the cheek of her boyfriend, both intent on a quick departure.

"Annabeth, contact Thalia and ask for her help. We will just have to pray that they can find Percy soon." Chiron ordered as many began to get up to leave.

As Ares got ready to leave and heard Chiron say that all he could mutter was, "Pray to who?" Before flashing away to Olympus.

* * *

**Review please. Like really.**


	3. Soldiers of Old and New

**A/N: I need to send a ****shout out right now to Anaklusmos14 for mentioning my story and turning so many people my way, that man is second only to Tom Hanks, right up there before Jesus and Ben and Jerry and tied with that one guy who is just so cool. So if any of you are new and have missed this spectacular author then I require you read everything he has published, or I will physically kick you off this site. **

**But enough about my religion, let us all enjoy reading this chapter as the quest begins and I answer the most asked question I have received, at least partly. 'What happened to Percy?' well now you have to read and find out. Soo... suck it. Or don't your choice really.**

* * *

A Man Without a Hearth

Ch. 3

Soldier of old and new

* * *

It was just another day in Portland, the chilled air damp after the spring storm and Percy would be shivering like all the others if not for the fact that he no longer cared about his health or anything that happened to him. But his body isn't infallible.

No Percy's body was suffering more now than ever before, the cold burned into his skin like never before. The starvation was actually there, he hadn't eaten in over five years and only now does he truly feel it. The last bit of sleep he had was a week ago and that was the 20 minutes he had before the screaming and the torture happened again. But worst was the rain, it came down on him, he was imagining all those times he drowned. He was in the worst condition he could be in, and then it got worse.

The voices said they were looking. They were coming for him, but Percy didn't know why, probably to try and kill him, hopefully, they could finish off the one that murdered so many of them, as they should.

The sisters told him about a quest looking for him along with all of the gods. All of them just for one monster, he should be honored.

But Percy couldn't go much longer, he was hobbling his way down highway 99 avoiding most people, his shoulders slumped in the symbol of defeat and his entire body was sagging as if itself trying to give up on a life he couldn't leave by himself.

But then the darkness encroached and Percy was happy, it was finally happening he was going to leave soon. The life of horror was almost over and now he could finally just die.

* * *

_It wasn't all dark and emptiness; no there was hellfire every now and again. The pits of Tartarus were believed to be just dark and never ending prison cells, but no this was the place of nightmares, literally._

_All of your worst fears happen in the pit, people go mad because everything that ever happened to them is thrown in their face and then they are stabbed in the back. Repeatedly. _

_But Annabeth can't deal with this, no Percy would always protect her, he was there for her. _

_She was draped on his shoulder on his left side, Anaklusmos clutched in his right hand. He was trudging his way through hell for her and he would he would make it if it were the last thing he did. But there was a problem, they were being watched, they were being hunted. The pits of Tartarus housed every monster Percy ever killed, along with all of the titans and giants that he had slain. The hissing sound was always near but Percy couldn't find where it was coming from besides the darkness. _

"_I'll get you out of here Annabeth." Percy said to her dormant form. He had knocked her out when she couldn't walk; he needed to get her out with as little exposure to the terrors of Tartarus. _

"_Percy how could you let us fall?" It was her voice again, "You don't love me enough to protect me."_

Percy had tears running down his cheeks again, "No, no Annabeth, I love you more than anything, I will get us out of here and then we can go live a good life without all the fighting." Percy was grasping for straws to please the voice, he had checked and it wasn't Annabeth talking to him but he was still trying to please her. It was all so real.

"_You do know that we just let you drop, right?" It was his cousin now, the little brother. Nico's voice was colder than usual. "We didn't want to lose Annabeth but we didn't want to help you, it was always your fault that Bianca died and now you will die in these pits for it."_

"_I'm going to come down there and get Annabeth back once your dead though," It was Jason this time, "She would fit well with Reyna and Piper, all three of them could just please me and we will have so much fun together."_

"I'm just glad that I have the better Poseidon powers," Frank taunted, "You are so unoriginal. And now you will die with all that pompousness that we hate."

"I wished that you had drown in Alaska, you know." Hazel sneered

"_You killed so many people, and it is your fault that bad things happened to us. Too busy with a relationship with a girl that doesn't love you. I can tell she hates you just as much as the rest of us." Piper's words hurt._

_But then the worst came, "If it wasn't for you I would have been happy, a great writer and in love with someone with a way to take care of me. But then you came along so I had to get with Smelly Gabe. I should have let him keep beating you, he should have killed you." His mother's voice, he hadn't heard it since before Rome, over a year ago. _

"_You aren't worthy to be my son, I have more out there you know, your mother wasn't my only little affair and I have more children who will actually do things for me and won't give up honoring my name for a little bitch daughter of Athena." His father. _

"_NO!" It was a cry, his face a mix of sweat, dirt and tears and his lungs burned from exhaustion. _

"_The greatest hero, my grandson and bane of me." It was a cold voice, the first voice Percy ever heard coming from Tartarus and one he heard coming from the mouth of the hero of Olympus back in the titan war. "Oh how the mighty fall." His sarcasm was even crueler than he normally sounded, a grating of stone on stone. _

"_Kronos." Percy growled clutching his sword so tight that all of his knuckled glowed white. _

"_You can't fight me here Jackson." Kronos mocked, "We can't die here, and you can. There are many that wish to get to you now, and I am the only one that is holding them back from grabbing that little girly and ripping her to pieces. Well after she pleasures all of Tartarus that is." His smirk was engraved into his face. _

"_What do you want?" Percy snarled, leaning forward as a big cat in the hunt, ready to pounce. _

"_Well you are smarter than we believed, you can tell when I want something." Kronos' smirk got even larger, "I want to make a deal."_

…(Time Break)

_It was simple, Percy gave up his body for their amusement and they let Annabeth free of all harm. And they would even show them to the doors of Death when they were finished, all Percy had to do was give up, something he was going to do for Annabeth. _

_The claws dug into his naked flesh, nothing could stop this as so many marks were ripped and cut into his flesh and the deepest, well he couldn't die so they had to seal them up. But did they have to cauterize them with a few drops of Stygian water. _

_The water from the Styx when dropped onto his skin burnt into it more but it did stop the bleeding, only intensifying the pain and insuring that the mark would never go away. _

"_Always the hero, aren't you Jackson?" Kronos sneered as the last of the monsters had their way with him. "Well now I have a special prize for you, as you have noticed, no powers work here in the pit besides the powers made in the pit, and that includes your breathing under water. And a little birdie told me that you have a fear of drowning. Why don't we test that." Kronos started to laugh and that laugh was something that still caused fear to run through Percy, the hardened warrior was afraid, he always would be. _

* * *

_Percy couldn't stand, couldn't breath. It all hurt, his lungs were full of water and his blood, the marks that adorned his body were deep and throbbing and his entire mind was crashing around him._

_Then he saw Annabeth again and the only thing he could think of was how disappointed she would be in him, he was broken and she was always so strong. He wasn't good enough for her but he did have to get her out of here and that is what he was going to do. _

"_Well here is your little whore Jackson, maybe you will come back when she gets a look at you, it is a hideous sight if I do say so myself, it is only my good looks that went through your father and into you that keep you looking even remotely human. You are nothing more that the monsters that made you this way and I love it." Kronos was in Percy's face, the molten gold on a dead sea green. "Oh and a parting gift."  
_

_With that Kronos stepped back and pulled out his scythe, the giver of some of Percy's deepest tortures. And with two downward strikes the blade went clean through Percy's feet, cauterized from the stygian water that had laced the blade to make it burn more. "Now the doors are just a few miles in that direction." Kronos said pointing over a rocky field of obsidian shards, "No one will bother you until you get on the other side."_

_And so Percy resumed what he was doing not 6 days ago; Annabeth draped over one shoulder still in an unconscious state as Percy trudged through the glass like rock on his broken feet, no true strength ran through him anymore. He would give up again if it weren't for Annabeth; no she was the reason that he was here on the world._

* * *

The light of the doors of Death consumed him illuminating him as he opened his eyes expecting some form of judgment only to see a ceiling fan spinning above him. That was strange; DOA records didn't have a fan the last time Percy checked. Looking to his left Percy found a blue wall, blue like the sky; that also didn't match DOA records. Turning his head again Percy saw a clock, it was about 3:58 and the clock itself was a detached wheel from a ship. Just before Percy could look around the room and focus on more of it he heard a stomping through the door, it sounded big and dense creating a large sound, but it was slow.

Percy would have done something but he was too tired to get up. And he was okay if he was going to die, better now than never that is.

The thumping got closer and Percy began to hear what it was, two softer but different steps followed by a harder step that sounded quite a bit heavier. The doorknob turned.

Percy just looked up at the ceiling fan, if anything maybe when he died he could just watch a fan for the rest of his souls existence until his soul fade or he takes a dip in the Phlegethon and burn away the rest of his pitiful happenstance. But the fan would be just fine to watch, nothing bad ever happens to a ceiling fan, just goes on and off and on and off. But then again, it could just be Percy's ADHD acting up again.

"You're up already, need to get some food in ya son." The voice was strange, not monster like, just a gravely and old voice that seemed kind and … sympathetic.

Percy turned his head to see a man who looked to be in his late 80's with very little gray hair left. He wore a green army jacket over his plaid shirt while he leaned heavily on a wooden cane.

"Well you gonna say something son?" He looked down at Percy, he had old red-mud color eyes that reminded Percy of someone but he couldn't place it.

In response Percy only shook his head. He hadn't spoken a word in so long that he didn't know if he could.

"Hmm, maybe you should just have some water and food then, looks like you haven't had a good meal in ages." The old man saw the flinch at the word water, and he started to try and piece together the young man in front of him. "Well here eat this, the wife made you some food," he said setting down a tray he was carrying, on it was a sandwich, a bowl of soup and some vegetables along with a glass of water that made Percy flinch again.

Percy did reach out to eat it but he didn't act like there was someone watching him. It was so strange to interact with someone without them trying to beat him. Why was it so strange for someone to try to be nice?

It had been so long for Percy since someone actually talked to him; he has been avoiding people for so long that it was strange for anything that included other people.

"A real talkative one aren't ya?" sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed next to him, "Got any family out there son?"

Percy again shook his head; he didn't have a family that would accept him. How could a family of the sea be related to an aquaphobiac monster?

"Well where do you live young man? You look like you have been through hell. So you live on the streets?" The old man shot an incredulous look when he snorted at the mention of hell, but it wasn't in humor, he looked haunted but the snort was in the irony of his accuracy. But Percy didn't respond, he just lifted the tray from his lap and set it on the table away from him, looking warily at the liquids left on the tray.

The old man noticed that the soup and water were untouched while the veggies and sandwich were gone to the last crumb. "Well I am sure that Su would like to know that you liked the food, sure you don't want to soup?" Percy nodded his head quickly, "And you should drink the water, don't want you to get dehydrated now do we?" The man lifted the glass up and offered it to Percy but he just backed away, deathly afraid of the clear liquid. The man frowned, he had only seen this once before and it wasn't pretty.

"Well if you feel like talking the name's Clark, and I would like to know yours." Clark stood away from him, picking up the tray and walked out the door, Percy just lay back in the bed and stared at the rotating ceiling fan.

* * *

"Thalia, it's good to see you again." Lacy hugged the raven-haired huntress. The smiles were slightly strained, as both knew that the reason of the reunion was less than happy.

"Lacy, Jedidiah. So why you two? I expected the brain and wrench to be on top of this one." Thalia and Annabeth's relationship was sadly straining after the war, the hunters still don't go to camp all that often, too busy hunting the monsters that stirred in the war. She was the lieutenant that the hunt needed after the war and losing so many sisters, everything was darker after the war but the leaders had to be strong to lead them all back from the dark.

"Thalia there is a prophecy for finding Percy." Lacy explained, Jedidiah knew that hunters were not fond of boys so he was trying not to get the attention of the girl in front of him and kept his mouth shut. Lacy went through the prophecies with Thalia, explaining what they had learned from Ares and the campers.

"So you both came because of this prophecy? It does say that we will come back without him though, it doesn't make sense though, are we going to find someone else instead? And what about you Jedidiah? It pretty much says that you are going to die." Thalia was not in a good mood, she had been one of the first searchers for Percy, looking where she had though possible for the first 2 years of his absence before she realized the hunt needed her more, she had given up hope and now she didn't know if she should actually be hopeful or sorrowful.

"I find that I can get lucky enough to avoid death long enough." Jedidiah smirked before he leaned down and picked up a penny at his foot before flicking it in the air and catching it.

"Yeah whatever. Just another boy to die if you are that arrogant." Thalia mumbled before walking away.

Lacy looked at Jedidiah before shaking her head, "Try and dial down the smirk there, Thumper." Walking towards the van that they took from camp.

Jedidiah reached down to his belt and rubbed his rabbit foot, "What I am the son of the goddess of luck, I should be lucky, " he muttered to himself.

…

The quest wasn't going to be easy on Thalia; she had lost a lot in this war. She saw her brother lose his girlfriend and another girl that meant a lot to him. She lost 18 of her sisters, some of them even younger than her. She watched as her brother ripped the head off of a very skinny boy, something that made the man-hating hunter worried for her brother and his grip on his humanity. And her cousin/little brother Nico sacrificed himself for all of them, the one boy that she connected with besides her little brother and Percy. Then Sally, the mother figure in her life before and even sometimes after her joining the hunters was slain in front of her.

But the worst was losing the one person that held so much hope in her, the most put together person after the war. Even if it was all faked Percy was so steady and provided a rock for all of them to cling to as the world slowly stopped shaking, it was him that made them all whole again.

Looking back on it Thalia would think it was obvious that he was hiding everything. The fact that he didn't react to the war like everyone else when he lost so much, probably more than anyone else, and yet he was the calmest and the most helpful. She felt stupid for not seeing it in time, because before anyone could ask him if he was okay, he was gone for good.

"So has Artemis reported where she has seen a trace of Percy yet?" Lacy asked the troubled hunters.

"No, I believe if she had found a trace of him she would have found him by now. She is the greatest huntress after all."

Lacy scrunched up her face, "But the prophecy says that 'the huntress watches the trail', that means that Artemis should have found some trace of him, my guess was that she couldn't get to him or something."

Jedidiah spoke up now, "Well it doesn't have to be Lady Artemis does it? I mean Thalia could be the huntress right? She is the huntress on the quest so maybe you do know where we are going Thalia, just you don't know it yet or don't realize it."

"I think if I knew where Percy was that I would remember it!" Thalia exclaimed, "Just stop talking, we are starting in Montauk, that was Percy's favorite place, maybe he left something there for us to follow."

The rest of the van ride to Montauk was silent, it wasn't a terrible drive from Camp Olympus, located in Northern Virginia to New York, but this close to the old Camp Half-Blood was always emotional for those that had been there when it stood as a beacon to all demigods as a safe haven.

New Rome was no more, it along with Camp Jupiter were taken by Earthborns while the legion was away, overpowered the retirees fled to every corner of the country but were found and offered new lodging in New Olympus, a city three times the size of New Rome, all for the improvement of the life of demigods.

Camp Half-Blood was deserted when it wasn't big enough to support the new accommodations needed for an expanding camp, deciding to move to a more neutral location, allowing both Rome and Greece the opportunity to find a new home.

"We're here." Thalia said as she stopped the van on a sandy road looking down on the New York coastline.

The three of them made their way to the old but sturdy cabin, a strong beach cabin that held the blessing of Poseidon to never be brought down by the sea. As they approached Thalia started to see a figure on the steps that led up to the door of the cabin. A figure with windblown hair and tanned skin that glowed in the setting sun sat slumped on the steps, his head in his hands looking old and tired his hair a graying shade of black.

As they approached and still couldn't see the figures face hopes rose, maybe it wouldn't be that hard.

Thalia started to call out to him, "Perrr…" but her voice died when she got closer, there were no scars on this person, not like the Percy that was burned into Thalia's head now, the one that looked as if he was the victim of the hunters' wrath and had been for millennia. No this one had perfect skin and his identity was known when he turned to look at the person who called out.

Thalia and her two companions dropped into bows, "Lord Poseidon, we are sorry to disturb you."

Poseidon's eyes were almost hollow, he had been crying to but he had a small smile on his face when he saw his niece, the one that was a friend of his son. "Not at all Thalia, you are perfectly fine, join me for the sunset would you. It is so beautiful here when it reflects off my seas."

"Thank you, Lord Poseidon." Thalia walked and sat with him on the top step, Jedidiah and Lacy were a few steps down, all looking out at the sunset in somber. It was beautiful but the sea god's emotions were contagious.

"You know I used to come and watch the sunset here after the council meetings, it was close bye and I liked to see a new place. It was here that I met Sally, as you know Thalia. It was in November, I think she was here for Thanksgiving holiday or something like that. We swam together, laughed and had are first kiss in this sunset, and then slept under the stars. They were so clear that night, she pointed out all of her favorite constellations. It was then that I fell in love with her, the enthusiasm she showed over the smallest and biggest things. She was a queen amongst girls and that was why I offered her a palace of her own." Poseidon sighed and brought his head down as the sun finally dropped fully beneath the horizon.

Thalia didn't know what to do at this point, she had never had to help a grieving god, Artemis had grieved but she was a twelve year old sister who was easy to hug, not a 40 something looking uncle who her father hated at times.

"Percy and I came here after the war one night, he was helping me fill the void left because I lost so much. My city was destroyed and my wife was gone. My son is still here and Percy reminded me of that. He told me about how Triton would always be there for me and that my city could always be rebuilt, again. And then there was the fact that he reminded me of his mother so much. He was smart just like her, knew what to say and when to say it when it truly counted. When the stars came out he pointed to his favorite constellations just like his mother. Like his friend, Zoë up there hunting the skies. He says she was a great friend and missed her along with all his other lost friends. Just so many people lost in these wars, so many..."

Thalia just nodded with him, she had missed Zoë. They weren't friends for long but that girl was a hero and deserved her place amongst the stars. But then she thought of something and her head shot straight up to the sky.

"Zoë?"

* * *

**Okay today I want to see your ****guesses. What do you all think the prophecies could mean? I know you all think you know it so let me see the ideas. **


	4. Looking Up

**A/N: Sorry guys about the wait. Right now this story is flying by the seat of its imaginary pants. I wasn't originally planning on this being a long story, 6 chapters max. But now it is going to be just as long if not more than The Unknown and so I have had to add more to the ****plot and fix it up for it. Then there is the writer's block that kept hitting me on random times. And I get distrac- SQUIRREL! **

**So here it is without further adou, the thing you have been witing for and expecting for some time. The one the only fourth chapter of A Man Without a Hearth. Enjoy.**

* * *

A Man Without a Hearth

Ch. 4

**Looking up**

* * *

"Zoë?" Thalia's head was looking up at the darkening sky, but there were a few stars that seemed to be brighter than the others, unreasonably bright. The stars of the huntress stood up from deep blue sky. All the hunters were trained to use the stars as navigation but Thalia knew there was something wrong with this.

Jedidiah and Lacy both look up at Thalia from their seats below her, "Zoë Nightshade?" Jedidiah questioned. All of the campers know the story of the daughter of Atlas who fought her father for Artemis. It was surprising though for Thalia to be asking about her now.

"Yeah look at her constellation," the two demigods looked with her up at the bright stars, "they are in the wrong place."

"What are you talking about? They look the same as usual."

"Open your eyes, boy. She is supposed to be facing east chasing the lion, but now she is facing west, and her arrow is too bright." Thalia pointed.

Lacy gasped, "She is pointing us in the right way!" Thalia nodded along with Jedidiah. "So we go west, how are we getting there?"

"I can help you." All three demigods jumped, they had forgotten that the god of the seas was sitting there with them, and he gave a low whistle.

Down from the sky came three pegasi, flying towards the seated demigods. Once landed the pegasi bowed to lord Poseidon.

_My lord you summoned us? _The leading pegasus asked, a beautiful pure white stallion with a blue tint in his wings.

"Yes, Maximus; you, Rosaline and Tiberius are needed to take these three to find my son, the rider of Blackjack." Poseidon spoke to the winged horses.

_A great honor sire, we will not disappoint the friend and rider my father. _Maximus replied again bowing deep, followed by his two companions.

"Thank you my friends, I will see you soon," he said to the pegasi before turning back to the demigods, "these three will take you west, but you won't be able to make it in one day, I hope you find my son soon, I don't want to lose my sister as well as my son. Good luck and may the fates guide you through." And with that Poseidon disappeared into a mist.

Thalia approached the white pegasus gingerly, "You're Maximus, son of Blackjack, right?"

The horse bobbed his head in a nod to her question.

"Dibs on Rosy!" Lacy called, running over and climbing on top of her favorite pegasus from camp.

As Lacy climbed on the tan equine and Thalia hesitantly approached the white stallion son of the legendary Blackjack; Jedidiah bowed to and climbed on the last pegasus, the chocolate colored Tiberius, the largest one there.

The three quest mates all mounted their rides before taking off as quickly as possible, taking to the skies in the west.

* * *

It was still spinning, Percy had been staring at the ceiling fan for hours now, possibly days if he had lost track of time like usual. It was odd for a demigod to be so still but one so broken like Percy was able to be still for days on time as long as the pain and fear couldn't get to him.

But Percy really did spend all his time blindly staring at the fan, it was constant, something he hadn't had in a long time.

While Percy lay in the bed he was a little troubled by the old man that he had met. He reminded him of someone he met a long time ago. But he couldn't place it.

The old man had dark muddy colored eyes, like clay or brick. His hair was close cropped and long ago grayed. He also had a hardness to him that was just so familiar to Percy.

Knocking from the door broke Percy out of his reverie. After a minute of him not responding the door opened to an older and short woman of obvious oriental descent.

"Good morning, young one," she walked into the room with the same tray as yesterdays meal, only this time it was supporting fruits and rice in a bowl with what looked like egg and meat. "I hope your hungry. Clark just went out to the store to get some yard care supplies, but he will be back soon. My name is Su, what is your name?"

Percy looked up at her from the bed, his eyes not showing anything but he felt a little regret. She seemed so nice and the kind of lady that was easy to talk to but Percy couldn't speak to her, everyone that gets close to him dies. It is always his fault that they die too. He couldn't cause this lady's death; he should get out of there.

As quickly as he could Percy threw himself out of the bed intent on making for the one window in the room and leaping out of it and out of this couples life. But as soon as his feet hit the floor he fell and couldn't get back up.

He was weak, not like the weak he was before, that was emotional, mental and spiritually destroyed, no this was worse. He couldn't run anymore, he always used to be able to run away from the fears and the fates coming after him but now he will have to stay and watched as his world continues to crumble.

"Dear are you alright?" Su had set the tray down and was kneeling next to him. Percy just shook his head in the negative. He had never been 'alright'. And that wouldn't start now. "Come along, let's get you back in bed." So the two of them lifted Percy back onto the bed where he was propped up by some pillows.

"Why did you try to jump up so quickly, dear?" her voice was very caring and sympathetic. It had a sweetness to it that Percy felt haunted by, it was like his mother all those years ago when she would come home from the candy store and give him the one relief he had in between the beatings he had everyday.

Percy didn't respond to her, choosing instead to stare out the window that he tried to exit out of. Outside was a tall oak tree in the middle of a large backyard. Several flowered bushes and other shrubbery accompanied it. Behind the bushes Percy could make out a rock garden of sorts, the rocks were stacked in meticulous and yet bizarre shapes and set in a smaller pebble pit that mimicked a pond in its placing.

"Come dear, you can trust me. What are you afraid of?" Su asked.

Percy didn't respond to her as when she asked the question all the fears he had began to flood his mind. He started to shake as it became too much, just like when the dreams were happening.

Su didn't know what to do so in an attempt to comfort the young man she wrapped her arms around his chest. This would work on most people, a very comforting gesture for sure but not Percy. This only reminded him of the pain that touches caused, it inflamed all the wounds that haunted his body and he thrashed.

"Calm down shh, shh, it's alright." Su tried to comfort him more but as she tried to hold tighter he became more violent shaking with new strength.

It was the first time in years that anything like this had happened, his powers emerging from the depths of his despair.

It was lucky for Su that Clark was coming home that very moment because the house began to shake with the quaking son of Poseidon, a great rumbling that reminded him of a time in his childhood with his friend Shen Lun. He recognized the signs of a caused earthquake; the house shaking stronger then the rest and the way the gravel on the road was going away from the house.

Clark ran as fast as he could to the house, he had known there was something familiar about the boy. His aura was similar to something he saw back when he was 9 when his friend was attacked by Clark's brothers and their friend.

Now running into the house all he worried about was his dear Su, she was in the house and he had seen what had happened nearly 80 years ago. So he ran as fast as he could to make sure his wife was safe.

When he burst through the doors of the guest room that the man was staying in to find his loving wife trying to calm the quaking boy who was now glowing green.

"Su leave now, I will handle him." His wife looked at him in defiance for a second before she followed his orders, trusting him as she had for their over 50 years together.

Clark came forward and gently turned the boy towards him to look him straight in the eye before he saw the pain in them again, just like with the water.

"Please son, reign in the sea. You must control yourself. You are not only the sea but also the trusty rock that withstands it." the shaking withstood as Clark tried to get through to Percy, "You're safe son, your safe. Have hope."

That word came through, just that word. It was said so many times by the voices in his head, the sisters telling him that he needed to find his, Clark, the old man telling him to have some but the strangest was the voice of a woman that he heard before one that he recognized and couldn't place, 'Hope, Percy Hope'. It was the word that haunted him, but not in a bad way. He felt something that he didn't know anymore when he heard that word, he didn't know what he felt but it wasn't pain.

The shaking slowed as the glow around Percy dimmed. "Come on son. You are stronger than what ever is hurting you."

All the shaking stopped now, along with the glow but Percy was now shaking his head. If he talked he would be saying no; if he could he would say that his pain and fear would never end and that he would forever be dead.

Then the darkness collapsed around Percy, his eyes closed and his mind slowing. Clark looked down on the man and for once saw a little bit of peace on his face.

* * *

"Are you sure we can't go any farther?" Thalia asked as she leaned against the side of Maximus.

Maximus gave an indignant shake of his white mane and stretched his illustrious wings while Lacy responded, "No, the pegasus need rest just like anyone else, it's not like flying us all the way across country is easy. We can set out again tomorrow when they rested but now we are stuck in Boise waiting for morning."

"There are worse places to stop, but where is Zoë leading us?" Jedidiah queried.

Thalia looked up at the sky again, "Well her arrow is still shining bright and she is pointing west, so we keep going."

"But where could he be hiding, the prophecy says that he is afraid of water so do you really think he crossed the Atlantic and is in Asia or is he somewhere in the wilderness like Bigfoot or something?" Jedidiah was starting to doubt this way of travel, "I mean how can we know that Zoë is actually able to see us and Percy. Can't it be Artemis who found part of his trail and she is following him now, we could be wrong."

Lacy jumped up right next to him, "We can't be wrong," Lacy defended before rubbing Jedidiah's head despite him being taller than her, "We have our lucky rabbit right here."

"Knock it off!" Jedidiah cried indignantly.

"She's right you know," Thalia called, "With you by our side we will just get lucky and stumble on Percy now."

"Maybe we should keep going though, I mean if we go on foot then the pegasi can still rest their wings while we can still make distance. We don't actually have that much time." Jedidiah argued.

Lacy and Thalia shared a look before Thalia shrugged, "Maybe you're right, we are all rested and we should get going."

The questmates packed the few things they had taken off their mounts before climbing on again and taking off in a canter following the stars before the sun would rise.

* * *

The sun came up just as the three were crossing into Oregon; Lacy was asleep on Rosaline's back as Jedidiah rode ahead and Thalia rode next to her to keep her on her horse.

"Why can't Percy just send up a flare or something?" Jedidiah complained; he never was one for horse back riding.

"Shut it Jed. I have a good feeling coming on about this." Thalia remarked.

"Fine, let's just keep it going." He conceded.

The trip continued silent as the three spent their time resting and contemplating the greatest hero's hiding place.

"Is it just me or is it a little stupid that a aquaphobiac would hide in one of the wettest states?" Lacy questioned.

"Well he is a kelp head, no way he would think about it," was Thalia's reply.

Jedidiah got a thinking face on, "What if he is hiding from us?"

"Well of course he is hiding from us, or he would have come home in the last 7 years." Thalia remarked.

"No, hear me out," he started, "What if he knows that we are looking for him. We are going to a place that Lord Ares said that Lady Athena ruled out. I mean maybe he is trying to make it so we can't find him. What if we do find him but he doesn't want to come with us. It fits the prophecy of him not coming back."

Thalia was silent for a minute, a look of betrayal flashing across her face. "If he doesn't want to then I'll knock him out and we will carry him back."

Jedidiah looked over at Lacy to see her look of concern directed at Thalia. There was no one in camp that didn't know the relationship of Thalia and Percy, and it was obvious that Thalia missed him a lot. Despite her position as the lieutenant of the hunt it was a strong cousin bond that was broken when Percy disappeared those years ago.

Maybe it wouldn't be long before a family reunion, or at least that is what everyone hoped for.

* * *

"Is he alright Clark? I've never seen anything like that happening before. He was creating an earthquake. Tell me now." Su ranted at her husband.

Clark sighed as he exited the room that the young man had just passed out in. "Honey, you remember my friend Shen all those years ago. I told you about the accidents that happened because of his lineage, this is the same. I don't know how but this boy is a descendant of Neptune and he is suffering with it. It would explain the earthquake that he caused but it still can't explain why he is so fearful. What did he tell you that made him so startled?"

Su looked pensive at first trying to think back on all that has happened "He was acting so fearful. He never even said anything, I think he tried to run away and then he fell down when his legs wouldn't hold him up. And he hasn't spoken a single word since I've seen him." Su was worried for the young man; he was just that too, young.

The couple then went silent as they continued to ponder their new live-in guest. They had both seen many scars on the boy felt even more when they were trying to comfort him. The marks on his body seemed beyond possible for one at his age even if he had been in a war. Then his face, covered in dirt and a beard more commonly seen on the mythical Sasquatch. This boy could only been known as an enigma or an impossibility. Clark and his brothers always thought that they would look like he did now when they were his age, war-torn and rugged.

"What do you think he could have seen to make him so afraid of everything?" Su asked her husband.

Clark sighed and rubbed his brow, "Honey I have seen many terrible things, including my brother ordered to death by my mother but this boy has seen worse. The way he acts and the fear that is ever present in his eyes I can't imagine what he has been through. My best guess would be that he was tortured in the depths of hell and that can't be all," little did the man know how close he was to the truth on this.

It was the next day that Percy was able to open his eyes again, but even then he was just too exhausted to move. It would be another full day before he would be able to lift his self from the bed to any degree; his body was just so exhausted.

Why did Percy have to be like this, so weak? He was born with the destiny that saved Olympus and yet he was so weak that he lost everything he ever cared about. He would never be able to look at himself or anyone else the same ever again. And now he was stuck with a nice couple that either thought he was a mutant or crazy and would be calling the police or, with his luck, actually knows what he is and they will or already have alerted Olympus or one of the camps and he will be killed within the day. But that wouldn't be too bad, and then he could finally be done.

* * *

"So what do you think Thals? Mountains, city or the forests?" Lacy asked the hunter as all three of the pegasi had finished a short flight over the high desserts of eastern Oregon. The quest were at a cross road because Zoë's arrow had dimmed so they could only assume that they were close but now they had to decide where Percy had hidden and Oregon was very diverse in landscapes to hide in.

"Well I don't know why don't we pick a method to search them all." The huntress was trying to think of all the places that she thought that Percy would hide and honestly she had no idea. Percy did have a history in Portland, he had bet with his life downtown there but it was a large city and she wouldn't know where to start there.

It was then that Jed spoke up from the back, "We could try a flushing method, start from the top and then work our way down. If we fly to the top of Mt. Hood then we can work our way down and then there is a better chance if we work our way all the way down the mountain. It will also cut down on time if we can just keep going south from there and we don't find him then we rule out area quicker."

Thalia thought for a while, "That could work for us, we start at the top of the mountain and spiral down to cover it all."

"Okay let's take off and we'll reach the peak in a half hour tops." Lacy put out before clicking her tongue and giving a swift kick she and Rosaline took off into the sky.

Her quest mates both followed shortly as all three soared towards the snowy peak. The cold and frigid air was eating at their exposed skin as they ascended.

As the three landed on the sloped of Mt. Hood they realized a problem; the weather was fighting them. The winds had picked up and the clouds were thick. Visibility was down to zero so it wasn't surprising when the wind picked up and when stumbling Lacy reached the edge of an embankment resulting in a quick tumble. But as she felt her body fall below her a hand reached out and grabbed her before she plummeted and Jedidiah pulled her back up.

"Watch it pretty girl, don't want to fall now do we?" he teased.

Lacy bristled at the nickname, "What ever Jed," she pulled her hand away and walked over to the pegasi as they seemed uncomfortable in the colder and windy environment. "The pegasi can't stay here as we scale down the mountain. The snow isn't good for their wings so they should go off on their own. Maximus will be able to find us if he is called, I would suggest a cab whistle because that is what Blackjack taught him. And if they can they will try to find Percy too, the mist can hide them well enough," Lacy then turned her head to the equestrians, "Good luck guys."

The pegasi all nodded to them before soaring off into the low clouds.

"This is probably the end of the season storm, so we should be fine with the skiers and hikers, no one usually comes up for any of this." Jedidiah remarked.

"How do you know that? Last I checked, Jed, you are from Florida." Lacy shot back.

"Well I was born there, but I was picked up in Cali and while hitching across country I hit some great powder in the Sierra Nevada's so I know a thing or two," his natural confidence shining bright as he struck a pose on the edge, trying to show an air of dramatics.

"Yeah says the bo—" Thalia was cut off by a cry in the air. But this wasn't a cry of pain or a battle cry.

"Wahooo!" It sounded like a girl, obviously having the time of her life, that is until, "Watch out! Look up man!" And then it hit Jed.

Literally, she hit in the chest full on with the bottom of her board as the parachute that she held onto kept going with no care for the new added weight.

It wasn't until they were under the clouds was the girl able to reign in the chute; pulling it down under the gusts and flurries.

"What is wrong with you!?" Jedidiah was bewildered, this girl had just run him over and now she was yelling at him. And was she paraboarding? And he couldn't even speak, as he wheezed trying to gain some air in his lungs.

"That was awesome! Way to go girl!" That was a voice that simply made Jedidiah groan. Seriously, he just got run over and Thalia was congratulating the girl and everything. Wait ten seconds and she would ask her to join the hunt.

"Thanks I usually land a little smoother than that but the powder ain't here," the girl said folding up her parachute and stuffing it in her backpack. "What were you three doing on the mountain anyway? Not a good time for a hike."

Lacy smiled, "We're looking for someone on the mountain. Have you seen anyone?"

The girl got a puzzled look under her helmet and goggles, "Well there isn't anyone on the mountain besides us since they closed it and no one actually lives like a mountain man up here so unless you jut lost him then he ain't here."

"Oh," Lacy's face dropped a little.

"So who are you three anyway? Tourist from the east by the accent."

Thalia smiled, "Well I'm Thalia, this is Lacy and your snow bunny there is Jed."

"Ha, I like you already Thals," the girl laughed unclipping her helmet and pulling it off. Jedidiah was gob smacked. The girl was beautiful, Japanese American traits with long straight black hair and deep coal black eyes that danced with mischief. "Ellen Wynn. Hell seeker extraordinaire!"

* * *

**A/N: Now it is your turn to review. If you don't have anything nice to say then shut it. But if you don't have anything to say then I want you to review and tell me about your favorite shark in tribute to Shark Week ending today on the Discovery channel. Keep it fresh yo!**


	5. Falling Down

**A/N: Another installment, of A Man Without a Hearth for all you faithful readers out there. And I would like to actually mention a few of you, some of my best ****reviewers. First there is fantomfaire who was able to pick out that Shen Lun was Frank's ancestor that destroyed Camp Jupiter so brownie points for him. blueper gets firsties for the last chapter too, he was first and his favorite shark is the megalodon so that is pretty bad ass. Now I want all of you to review at the end of this and try to put more in then just 'awesome' or update now!'. I would liken to know what you like or want. So enjoy for now, I will see you at the bottom. **

* * *

A Man Without a Hearth

Ch. 5

Falling Down

* * *

Percy was sitting in the bed, two pillows under his back as he was propped up with Su Brodi sitting next to him in a chair. They had been silent for what must have been 30 minutes now, Su wanted to see if he would initiate contact or conversation in any form. But she wouldn't be in luck there, the man in front of her has spent nearly a forth of his life mute and wouldn't be able to change now.

Sighing Su decided it was enough of being silent. "So do you have a name, hero?" Su asked then noticing Percy flinch and shoot her a look.

He thought that she was mistaking him for someone else or just didn't know because he wasn't a hero. No a monster like him was hunted and killed by heroes. Ti was kind of ironic to him but he wasn't laughing.

Su took this as surprise and worry from the boy even though it wasn't. "Don't worry, I know what you are but I'm not one of those mean monsters." Su smiled brightly at him, "Clark is a legacy from your camp Jupiter, so I have known about your world for years. I even killed one of those monsters when we were honeymooning. But you can tell me you know, Clark says that you are a descendent or son of Neptune. Are you?" she tilted her head in the way a cat or small child would, Percy was astonished by the innocence a woman that would most likely be 80 could have.

But Percy shook his head to her question, for multiple reasons really. He couldn't lie to this woman; it was probably a week since he first arrived, three or four days since his 'incident', and she had been taking care of him the entire time. But he wasn't a son of Neptune. An argument could be made that he was a son of Poseidon but Percy would deny that too, he wouldn't muddy the name of a great god like Poseidon with another monster as a son.

"Hmm, then maybe something else. But you obviously have strong powers over the earth when you could shake the house like that." Su seemed to pout as she tried to think of a reason why Percy could do that.

Percy was able to pay more attention to the woman now that he was better rested. It was obvious that Su was from Asia with the accent she still had, it wasn't strong so he could figure that she had gotten it under control years ago. She was thin and looked very frail for someone that seemed to walk around as much as her. He hair was short, maybe to her chin in length and a dark, dark brunette. And her eyes were a doe like brown made her a very cute and endearing old lady.

It was then that Clark came in, he was in a red flannel shirt today and while leaning on his cane carried a tray with a few sandwiches on it. When Su saw her husband she smiled and stood to grab the plates from him. "So Clark this young man was just telling me that he isn't a descendent of Neptune like you thought."

Clark hummed to himself before turning to Percy, "So you talking now?" Percy didn't answer him looking down in his lap now.

"Not yet," Su replied for him, "But he can nod if we get something right so he isn't deaf."

Clark rubbed his stubbly chin before snapping his fingers and turning to Percy again, "So kid I have to ask, you ever been to camp?" Percy nodded, "Ever get one of these?" this time Clark rolled up his shirts sleeve revealing a tattoo that was familiar to Percy, it was his SPQR tattoo with the helmet and crossed swords that symbolize the children and legacies of Mars, and below that was a series of scores that would impress anyone in the legion.

Again Percy nodded, he had received some tattoos like that, and at the time it was a slightly painful experience. Clark smiled before reaching for Percy's arm about to reveal the tattoo he felt would give him an identity for the mystery man in front of him. But as he pulled back the sleeve that hid the boy's arm he gasped and dropped the arm back to the bed.

Because no matter how painful the delivery of the tattoo was on Percy's arm the way on which it was removed was worse. In the place the tattoo used to rest was a scar, or series of scars. A burn first that must have taken all the flesh that the tattoo would have rested on and even worse was what looked to be carved into the skin a message if you would. And Clark could read it in perfect Latin because on his arm it said, 'weak'.

* * *

Percy could remember how he got some of his worst reminders, out of revenge by a titan that didn't enjoy being insulted. But none of them did.

"_Percy, Percy, Percy." Prometheus shook his head, "This was a foolish decision on your part, and I mean I wouldn't need forethought to tell that this would only result in pain for you." _

"_Fuck off Prometheus. Shouldn't you be sucking off some real titan right about now?" Percy was in his defiant phase, it wasn't a long time during the dealings, but it was the one that resulted in this situation. _

_Prometheus scowled, but he ignored the comments, "You know Percy I feel like I should remind you about this when it is all over, just my forethought thinking aloud really but I feel like it is a good idea. I mean you were promised to be allowed out eventually so I think I will take something from you physically now, something that you will lose mentally later." Prometheus was becoming as dramatic as the rest as he paused to continue, "Your identity."_

And to start Percy had lava carried in by two telekhines poured over the arm with his tattoo.

"_What do all those romans want again, oh that's right. All of them want strength, admirable at times but completely irrelevant. What they hate is weakness, maybe I will put a reminder of you being just that, right here."  
_

_As he talked the lava had done its job and had burnt the flesh from Percy's skin leaving only char that used to be muscle. Taking a rather jagged knife the titan began to write into Percy's arm cutting in his message. _

_Percy did scream about this, it caused more pain than the time in Mt. St. Helens and Percy doubted that he would ever get out of this. Tears rolled out of his eyes, and Percy was showing the weakness that Prometheus wanted to see. _

_It was a lot of pain later when Prometheus stepped back from Percy's arm, "A masterpiece if I do say so myself." Prometheus then looked behind Percy and waved over something. It was then that the same two telekhines from before were carrying a new bucket this time filled with water. But when Prometheus took the ladle and instead of drinking it began to pour the water over Percy's new scars that Percy knew that it was indeed Stygian water. The water burned worse than the lava had but then it stopped burning and only throbbed. Percy looked at his arm where the skin had healed slightly in the burning sensation but the words were very much visible and forever a reminder that he was indeed weak. _

_But Prometheus didn't stop there, "But Percy we aren't done yet, you have your roman strength gone now but you still have this hope and family of the Greeks and we can't have that, hero."_

_And with his knife Prometheus quickly slashed against Percy's collar. At first Percy would believe that Prometheus was going to cut open his neck but then he heard beads clatter to the floor. Looking down he saw his necklace, the one that all Greeks had the one with so many memories. Prometheus just shoved it away with his foot, as if it were nothing of importance before approaching Percy again. This time with a new metal bucket that had green smoke rising from it. _

"_Oh, Percy a new gift for you really. When my brother was out of his burden and could go down and play with his pet he collected this for me. I believe a friend of yours is very familiar with it." And then Percy remembered the acidic scent coming from the bucket, a poison that claimed his friend, Zoë Nightshade. In the bucket was poison extracted from the hundred-headed dragon, Ladon. "Now I am not sure what to compare this too, this venom. It causes the body to fail with excruciating pain. But you can't die now, so the poison will only burn worse than anything you have ever experienced. I do hope you enjoy this new one." _

_And with a new and malicious smile that was so dangerously close to Percy's face Prometheus began to carve into Percy's neck and collar, replacing his necklace with a new massage. And throughout many of cuts Prometheus pulled back to dip his knife back into the bucket adding more to the pain as Percy's neck began to pour out the little blood he had left. _

"_Almost done Percy I feel like this new one will be your favorite, a collar when you come back to be our pet." Prometheus finished with a flourish of his knife. And then the pain exploded again from his neck as more Stygian water was dumped onto Percy's neck cauterizing and finalizing the wound._

"Tell me Percy, what do you think?" Prometheus asked as he helped up a mirror. In the mirror Percy could see his red and agitated skin spread from his neck all the way down to his chest, the veins all visible with a green poison that seeped in. But the words were visible in the red skin, 'Failure' in ancient Greek.

"_I would say that I should go into artistry, don't you think Percy?" _

_Percy was pulled out of the pain by his voice just the sound of the arrogance and victory in it was enraging. Percy looked up at him in a glare of defiance. But in that act Prometheus took the knife and with a large upwards slash cut from Percy's cheekbone to his forehead on his left side, blinding Percy in that side. _

"_I always hated those eyes Percy, so emotional and defiant. They are you and I just took them away, no one will notice the color now. The scars you hold now will be what people see now, the weak failure you are not the hero they used to think." Prometheus walked to the door, "I leave before your next visitor comes, he is really anxious to see you Percy, I think he's a fan." And with that final message Prometheus closed the door with a loud crash leaving Percy with only the pain and the messages to steep in it all. _

* * *

Clark Brodi was a hardened warrior, or at least he would like to think so. He was in the legion from the age 2 for decades and he saw many things 4 wars, countless battle and he could remember all 500+ people that have died to his hands in his 93 years of life. But no this boy, young man, child in front of him had seen worse and he knew it. Just looking at the man could tell you that. His face was riddled with scars; a slash with 4 lines went from his upper lip at an angle down his jaw, a claw mark with 3 claws seemed to cut from nose to ear, and a bite mark was on his neck. But then over his left eye there was a slash deeper than the rest, going nearly to the eyeball that was a darkened green orb. And his eyes themselves held a forever sadness that made Clark want to weep beyond anything he ever saw before.

As Percy revealed his scarred arm and relived how he had lost his strength he realized that he might as well be marked 'deserter' because of his total loss of roman values. He had to leave these people now; they couldn't aid a deserter. That was punishable by death.

So Percy again tried to run for the window that could lead to his freedom as the man in front of him learned the truth of his roman legacy. But as he reached a vertical position his legs began to buckle and after a single step he fell again to the floor, hard and fast.

This left Clark to only thing of how could a man a fourth of his age could be so broken?

* * *

Thalia was having a great time with this and that is what made Jedidiah the angriest, first some hot snowboard chick crashes into him and now she is sitting around the fire with Thalia and Lacy as if it were girl's night out. It confused him how they all could just sit around and talk at a time like this.

First off didn't they have a quest to complete and secondly it was fucking cold outside. The snow was flying, wind whistling and Jed was freezing because he was asked to 'stay out of this'. What did that even mean? Was Thalia really recruiting at a time like this?

And then there was the fact that Jed really would prefer if this girl didn't join the hunt, she was breathtakingly beautiful and he would like to at least try his luck and talk to her before she became one of those string happy hunters who found joy in putting a few arrows in Jed's ass every once in a while.

"Hey Jed!" It was Lacy that called out to him and waved him over. "Ellen said that we can stay at her place for the night before we look in Portland for Percy."

"That's just great. But how are we going to get down the mountain before nightfall then, we have like 2 hours."

Lacy looked at him incredulously, "You have a big hunk of metal on your back. Why don't you sled down?" before muttering to herself, "All luck, no brain."

When Lacy had tuned around Jedidiah had the proper response of a slap to his own forehead for not thinking of that. Obviously Thalia had her famous shield that could hold the two small-framed girls and Ellen had her board, so Jed pulled out his centurion style shield. That would be a fairly decent way of travel as long as he handled it right. As he pulled out the piece of metal from his pack that looked to be about the size as one of those apple tablets and hit his palm flat on the top it expanded to a near full body size with a slight curve to it.

"Wow, that was cool man, have another one of those nifty shields?" He heard Ellen ask him.

This shocked Jedidiah, this shield was made by some of the Hepheastus and Vulcan kids a while ago for him and whenever a mortal saw it they would mention a board of sorts, usually a surf board but obviously this girl was different, a clear sighted mortal, must be.

"Well... I uhm… well… no I don't have another one, kind of a special thing for my mountain decent." Jedidiah struggled with wording this to the pretty girl as she looked at it really closely.

The girl smirked at this, " How about I race you for it. Me on my board you on yours down the mountain. First one down gets the fancy shield. I don't know why you have it but it looks awesome and mama wants."

Jedidiah was stuck, first this was his shield and an important part of his supplies, but then again this girl had matched his two big weaknesses gambling and pretty girls. "Alright but I get something if I win."

"Oh, you'll get something all right pretty boy," the girls said giving Jed a saucy wink before hurtling herself off the mountain side her board on her feet and giving a cry of joy.

"Hey, don't cheat!" Jed called after her before running and jumping on his shield like the snowboards he used to ride and shooting off after the girl.

All of this though was being watched by his quest mates. Who were waiting back watching in amusement.

"So you think she is clear sighted or one of us?" Lacy asked as she heard the cries of the two competitors.

"Hard to say but I can tell you that she is going to get Jed killed and probably soon if he keeps acting like a boy." Thalia wasn't one of the die-hard men haters of the hunt but to all of the hunters _boy _was one of the worst insults that could be given.

"Come on Thals, let's go before he kills himself to soon." And so the Thalia opened her shield and the two girls sat on it as they themselves shot down the mountain.

* * *

The streets of Olympus were quiet again but the throne room was busy and an ordered mess. A large circular table was set up in the room before the hearth and it was littered with maps and lists of locations.

Athena was dealing with the charts now, leaning over the table, her usually neat and tidy hair now fell down her shoulder free of her standard braid. Her eyes, the piercing gray now seemed tired. There weren't many on Olympus anymore, the gods and goddesses of Olympus were spread throughout the world searching for the lost hero. But there were a few lingering immortals still on Olympus. Currently there were several nymphs that were trained by Apollo in healing were tending to Hestia as best they could although no one knew what to do with her. Her body had been soaked in nectar, hopefully to restore some of her energy. And now she was resting in the flames of the hearth, hopefully her domain would bring back her vigor. But no change had occurred with the eldest goddess.

And then there was the god of the seas; he had spent quite a bit of time just sitting in his throne to distraught to move. Of the gods he was the one to lose the most in the war, because as he was in Greece fighting with his son, brothers and sisters, Oceanus attacked his palace. His wife, Amphitrite was struck down by Oceanus, leaving Poseidon's son Triton as all that stood to protect the people of Atlantis.

Poseidon was so lost after the war, he was more proud of his sons than he had ever been before but he had lost his queen, his kingdom and little did he know that he would lose one of his sons too. Currently his other son Triton was watching over Atlantis. After the war Triton had begun taking over more and more of the duties that Poseidon used to handle but now was too distraught to do so. Triton understood; he might not have liked the little whelp that much but Triton knew his role in his father's life. But all of this had left Poseidon in his current position, slouched in his throne on Olympus silent and very mopey.

Athena looked up from her work to take in the state of her work area, also known as the throne room. She was surprised to see Poseidon to still be sitting on his throne; he had been there for almost the entire time since the prophecy was announced. Honestly it was a little pathetic to see for her, but also there was that little bit of guilt on Athena's side because of her rivalry. Honestly she hated the oaf and had for millennia. But now he was so broken she started to question her hate for him. It had been so long since he had done anything wrong to her that she started to ponder her motives. Athena had been told many times that people change and she could believe it because she had seen that Valdez boy grow up into a proper man that could date her prized daughter Annabeth. But then that thought brought back the relationship of that sea spawn Jackson, that they were looking for now, and her daughter. It was against her better judgment but Athena had approved of he relationship. At one point in the relationship Athena was actually impressed by the boy; strong, loyal and willing to fight for his friends, although he was dimwitted. But was it possible that Poseidon could be getting better and maybe actually be like his son?

But then Athena looked to the hearth, it was where she looked to get that smile of reassurance and love from Hestia while her brothers laughed at her and her father demanded more. It wasn't enough that she had to be the smart one but as time went on the other gods just started to expect her to be the one to do the thinking. But her aunt Hestia was always supportive and there for all of them when they needed it. And now she needed them, so they had to pull through for her.

And back to Poseidon; it confused Athena a little about why he was stuck to his throne and not out looking for his own son. It didn't make sense really for him not to care enough. But Athena had never been one to look into others emotions it was… illogical. So Athena decided to try and get him off his lazy ass.

"Why are you still here Poseidon? You should be looking for Percy." Athena was never that sensitive of a woman and that showing in how she was approaching Poseidon now in her rather coarse way.

Poseidon looked up at her in confusion first before his face began to show his more recent form of defeat, "He isn't out there anymore, we gods couldn't find him with a prophecy and the demigods were told that he wouldn't come back. Maybe they'll find his body for me to send off properly or even a grave. Maybe he found peace in death." Poseidon looked down at the marbled floors, "I looked for 2 years straight for my son before I had to return to my duties. I realized a long time ago that my son was gone but I didn't want to accept it. Now I have lost my wife, my son and now my sister, all of them are never coming back."

Before Poseidon or even Athena could register what was about to happen or to utter another word a small and skilled hand came in firm and painful contact with Poseidon's face. Athena had slapped him leaving him with a deep golden handprint on his light tanned skin.

"How dare you give up on your son and Hestia!" she shrieked, "You are supposed to be compassionate and now you are just proving that you are the lazy and ignorant ass that I knew you were. I thought you could be better than this Poseidon." And without another word Athena turned away and returned to the table where she picked up a chart and flashed away. She couldn't tell where the words came from, be it from the hope she had of him being better, his disregard for the health of her aunt or just her usual hate of him she couldn't tell. But the emotion that Athena felt most prominent was disappointment.

Poseidon's hand rose to his stung cheek, it wasn't like Athena to act that way. She was the cool and collected one who always fought with her words and insults. But this was different, she was emotional and Poseidon actually felt like he had failed her in something. It may be the fact that he was just slapped and therefore had a subliminal need to do what the slapping woman had wanted but Poseidon, for some reason, wanted to go after her.

He shook off that train of thought but he couldn't forget what she said, especially about how he had given up, not something he was known for.

Poseidon looked up from the floor now at the hearth where lied his elder sister and closest of his siblings. He was ashamed that he had given up on her already, wallowing in his sorrows as she clung to her very existence like she clung to that pithos in her eight year old hands.

"Have I failed you Hestia? Am I a bad brother? You were always my favorite sister and now as you are fading I am decaying in on myself. I am sorry but I don't know where my son is. There isn't anything I can do about that." As Poseidon talked the body of Hestia began to lose even more of it's color. Her dress used to be the color of fresh embers and now looked like a darkening auburn mud. Her skin used to be a pleasant Greek tan and now was pale like a ghost.

The hope was dwindling, and Percy had to be found fast to save the goddess of the hearth.

* * *

**So I need your opinions on what I have done. What do you think is going to happen? What do you want to see happen? I have thought about a little Pothena in this as well and added a little bit of something in this but I want to know what you all think.**

**And this time if you have nothing to say tell me the greatest ice cream you have had. I personally have had this spectacular sea salt caramel gelato that is to die for. **


	6. Home of the Soldier

**A/N: Hello party people, hope you want to read this ****chapter because I kind of like it. Longest chapter yet, Booyah!**

**Oh and just to let you all know I went to an amazing concert last night, an intimate acoustic gig by Grouplove with a friend of mine and our spots were maybe 15 feet from the stage, so that was really cool. Mix in the 20+ songs they played in a row it was ****spectacular. Okay now you can all stop being jealous and listen to these words. enjoy. **

* * *

A Man Without a Hearth

Ch. 5

Home of the Soldier

* * *

The relations inside the house were strange, just hearing the conversations would make you think that the two people living there had gone insane and started talking to an imaginary friend. But it was because there was a third person there, only that person hadn't made a sound since arriving in the house. This was the Brodi residence in Northwest Portland, Oregon and Percy Jackson had been staying there for the last 2 and a half weeks. He has been eating even better than probably ever before because of the healthy diet that Su Brodi has him on and had regained his mobility enough to be able to walk on his own without using the extra cane he had been borrowing from Clark.

Percy had even gotten his haircut, well more like Su sheared him while bribing him with some steak. He looked near presentable with out the beard and hair of Sasquatch although his hair was still salt and pepper and his beard was the same although now it was trimmed down so he no longer looked like a man who lived on the streets for the last 7 years, although he had.

In all the years after the war Percy had never felt better physically, he could walk and breathe and sleep without the usual pain. But the mental pain was still there. Guilt was a top problem of his current mental state. It was eating at him because Su and Clark had taken him in like one of their own and encouraged him to talk and tell them what was wrong but Percy couldn't and yet on a few occasions felt the need to say something to them. It was killing him on the inside but that wasn't his only problem.

There were the voices coming back, they even recited a prophecy that the kept reciting to him about some hero that needs to save Hestia and Percy hoped that someone did because he wasn't the hero of the prophecy. No the prophecy called for a hero not a monster so obviously they are mistaken and there is a true hero that will make Hestia happy, which is a good thing she deserved a hero to love her.

The sisters told him to go outside so that the quest could find him, and he was going to but Su stopped him because she thought he would just end up on the street again so she had him under house arrest. Which was why he was stuck in the house now with his warden while her husband was out at the farmer's market getting dinner.

"Son, are you sure that you don't want to tell us anything?" He heard the nicest voice since his mother when he was 12. And again the guilt hit him; Clark and Su had begun to call him son because they didn't know a name and Percy was staying with them no matter what he wouldn't say.

Percy shook his head because he was trying to keep separate himself from them no matter how much they pried or tried to make him feel like family. But everyone close to Percy died painful deaths or lived even worse lives.

Su sighed, "You shouldn't keep it bottled up son, it's not good for you." She sat down heavily down on her reclining chair next to the couch that Percy was sitting on and she placed a glass of water in front of him, which he no longer flinched to but he wouldn't reach for it which is what Su had been working on with him since she learned that he wouldn't go towards it. She had started with some very small things like a damp rag and sponges before moving to small cups left around him to show him that it wasn't going to hurt him. It was tedious for Su but she cared for the young man.

"Clark should be home and then I can get dinner going but now is there anything that you would like to eat? You didn't have any lunch earlier."

Percy shook his head, he couldn't fight the kindness much longer it was killing him, and the pounding in his head was killing him.

"You know it was in the 40's that I met Clark, when he came to my town in China. He had swum from an imperial ship that had been sent to the mainland to get more resources and Clark stopped it when it was full of ammunition and fuel headed towards Japan. He did it all by himself too but he was a terrible swimmer and ended up in my town instead of his extraction zone some 100 miles up shore, and to top it all off he didn't speak a lick of Chinese, we laughed all day when he tried to play charades with us."

_The darkness is still holding you hero; let it go. Free yourself of the pain and anguish. Now your destined love is fading it is your duty to save her. _

Percy liked Su's stories and had been listening to her since he got here. She loved having someone to talk to and he had nothing better to do. But when the sisters spoke at the same time as her it only caused his head to hurt even more.

_You know Thalia is on the quest and she is looking forward to seeing you, she is in Portland now, and Blackjack's son is here as well. These are your friends and they miss you. Lacy, the young girl from Aphrodite's cabin she is coming too. And a young man who looks up to you. You are missed hero._

"… and he pulled him out of the well by himself. I mean it may have inevitably been his fault because he was a big mess running around with half his body bandaged and all the girls were chasing him around. I was the one that nursed him and wrapped him up but all the girls just chased after him like he was some rock star. It was funny at times but really he was the cutest guy that I had seen and I may have gotten a little jealous, but don't tell Clark that. It always goes straight to his head."

_They're coming._

* * *

Four teenagers piled out of an old fashion black jeep with a snowboard and surfboard sticking out of it. Another distinguishing identifier on the car was the layer of dirt on the bottom from driving on wet dirt roads. The teens that were climbing out included a girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and was stunningly beautiful despite her hair being in a crude ponytail and the baggy rain jacket she was wearing. And following her was a handsome boy with blond close cropped hair and gold-flecked hazel eyes along with him was a beautiful Japanese-American girl with long straight black hair and a deep ebony eyes. Finally the driver climbed out of the car, she looked 16 despite her true age but the raven-haired teen was supposed to be much older, and she donned her black jeans and a silver parka on her back.

All the teens were attractive but currently they seemed down hearted, or at least three of them did, Ellen still had no idea what was so important about looking for a guy who seemed to like to stay in seedy places if they continued on their current course.

Ellen had been letting the three random mountain teens borrow her car for the day in return for a bet she lost to an obviously cheating boy who could not fool her; no matter how cute his smile was. And they had been talking to a lot of homeless people who had seen a real sasquatch with no shoes or something like that. And then Thalia and Jed kept snapping their fingers in front of their faces and talking quietly to them real quick before they moved on. They tried some of the cheapest or dirtiest motels as well, where cash was accepted but no one had to give a name. Lacy even did some questioning with some voice that was really alluring to Ellen, now she wasn't interested in Lacy that way but with the voice she was using Ellen really wanted to answer Lacy.

"So Cheater, your friend was here but he just disappeared?" Ellen asked Jedidiah, it had been like that since they got down the mountain, Ellen didn't know how but he cheated and he continued to deny it.

"It would appear so, and again I didn't cheat I just get really luck." Jed replied while reaching down for a dime he spotted on the ground unaware that Ellen was checking out his jean-clad bum.

"Then we can check again somewhere later, you all should try some of this market food. Organic and delicious." Ellen had been begging for a break all day and seeing as it was Saturday she had basically dragged the quest to the farmer's market.

Along with her three new friends Ellen maneuvered through the crowds introducing the overloaded Jedidiah and the two chuckling girls to almost everyone as if they all were great friends. There were merchants, farmers and customers that Ellen knew, even half of the street musicians.

And as they walked through Ellen just picked up random things and gave them to the questmates, plates of foods, drinks, fruit, vegetables; she even gave Lacy a new knit hat that looked good on her. These things were either given to Ellen or she traded for them with other things that had been given to her. This confused the three but when they brought it up to Ellen she just laughed a little.

"Everyone loves me here, I mean who wouldn't." Ellen said with a smirk to Jedidiah who had been watching her a little more than what is considered socially acceptable. "Oh, I see someone you guys have to meet, he is possibly the coolest old guy you will ever meet."

Grabbing Jedidiah's jacket sleeve and pulling with a strength that betrays her size Ellen ran through the crowds towards the butcher she had introduced as Mister Z. And while she was running she started to call out to a man in a plaid flannel shirt, "Hey, Mister B.! Wait up!"

The old man turned showing that he was leaning heavily on a cane that his body had hidden. The man was of good height and still strong and healthy at the apparent age of 80.

He smiled at the girl's exuberance, "Miss Wynn are you terrorizing all these kind people again?"

Ellen looked offended, "Mister B. I would never dream of it." She smiled mischievously at that before she realized she had dragged someone with her, "Oh I wanted to introduce some adventurers that I met on the mountain yesterday. We have mister Cheater right here, then Lacy and Thalia in the silver" pointing to each of them in turn. "And guys this is Mister Brodi, old man extraordinaire."

"Pleasure to meet you sir." Lacy returned while Jed scowled a little at Ellen, but what caught Clark's eye was the silver jacket on the raven haired girl, Thalia, a jacket he had only ever seen on one group.

With his suspicion Clark knew he had to make sure if they were or weren't from the legion. It was strange but not unheard of for a Hunter of Diana to be with those on a quest but only because they were told to by the gods. And so as inconspicuously as he could Clark undid his sleeve and pushed it up over his tattoo to see if he could get a reaction out of the children. It would be on them to see it because none of them had their arms showing.

Thalia and Lacy were smiling at the old man and began to speak pleasantries and while they talked Jedidiah turned away from his scowling at Ellen to see the exposed arm of the man revealing a helmet and crossed swords, a staggering tally and SPQR in blatant black. Eye's widening slightly Jed decided to use this as a possible way to find Percy quickly.

"So Mr. Brodi, would you like to have a cup of coffee with us, legionnaire?" Clark smirked at this, the kid had balls but was smart enough to notice his tattoo while both Lacy's and Thalia's eyes shot quickly to his exposed arm.

But with this Ellen just got confused, "Wait, legionnaire? I thought you were a lieutenant Mister B."

Clark smiled at the girl, "This was before that miss Wynn, a long time ago."

* * *

The three questmates were sitting in a booth at a quite coffee shop in Portland Oregon with a retired legionnaire and a local girl who had tagged along. But when asked if she should come along Clark had agreed to bring her for an unknown reason. But Jedidiah wasn't going to feed around the bush in the mythological standings; he always hated being discrete with it.

"Son of Mars, legionnaire Brodi?" Jedidiah wasn't being rude in with his tone but rather showing his standing, as a centurion or praetor from former Camp Jupiter would refer to all legionnaire in such a way if not on friendly terms.

"Yes, retired 60 years now. How is New Rome?" Clark asked, there weren't many retirees in Portland and those that were there were all the type that hadn't been back since retiring decades ago.

Lacy and Jedidiah shot each other wary glances, as they didn't know how to tell someone that their old home had been destroyed. "Demolished by Terra during the second Giant war. The legion had left it undefended not believing that it was a target in the war. Now a new camp is opened in Virginia, Camp Olympus. A Greco-Roman camp." Thalia was very blunt and her words appeared to hit Clark hard.

"Destroyed…Giant war… Greco-Roman…" Clark muttered. It was a lot to take in for one that had never thought of New Rome falling to anything after it was built. "So you three, a hunter, a legionnaire and a centurion?"

"Hunter yes, other two no." Thalia remarked tugging on her silver parka.

"The best translation would be a centurion and a praetor really, it is a very different leadership in the camp now. A mixture of Greek and Roman." Lacy replied, indicating to herself for 'centurion' and Jedidiah for 'praetor'.

Jed nodded, "Yeah, with the amount of combined roman and greek demigods and legacies it is easy to fill ranks full so what there is are bunks for each of the gods, major and minor for all their offspring but when a camper reaches 12 then they are offered a place in one of the barracks, similar to the cohorts but there are only four ran by the 'elects', all of us work together for the whole camp but the barracks are the military leaders and the head campers are the elders of each cabin and act as a congress. Lupa and Chiron, trainer from the greek camp, both help with the running of the camp along with the immortalized leaders of the war but they are only there to train us who are the next generation, so to speak. In times of need the 'immortals' as we call them, can call for a draft which will have almost all of the eligible campers in the barracks and training for war but with the last two wars that just happened it would be hard to believe another will come anytime soon."

Clark nodded, processing all of this while Ellen looked a little, if not more, confused. "Wait what wars, no one told me about any war."

"Ellen, we are all children of Greek gods, you know the ones you learn about in mythology classes, the Greek and Roman pantheons exist today and have been living in the united states for hundreds of years now." Lacy tried to explain.

Ellen nodded before she started to shake her head, "I know all that but none of you are making any sense about the wars, no one said there were any wars going on."

"Wait you knew? You already know about the Greeks gods?" Jedidiah was bewildered by this girl who he thought to be a mortal knowing about the gods.

"No I know about the Romans. My mom used to talk about them a lot after her shifts at the museum and then there was Ella who taught me about it all on the roof of the library, well before the kids in the purple shirts took her with them." Ellen seemed to think it was obvious, she had known for years that there were gods out there but had no idea what really happened in that world having never left Oregon before. "What are these wars you keep talking about?"

"There were two wars in the last decade really that could have destroyed life as we know it on this planet, both were really centered around the Greek pantheon." Thalia started to explain about how Kronos and Gaia had both risen despite having been beaten by the gods millennia ago. "It is actually the guy we are looking for that ended both the wars, Percy fought both Kronos and Gaia by himself and won both times to end the wars, and he killed a significant amount of monsters, titans and giants on the way. But he is my cousin, a son of Poseidon who is missing and we have to find him because a goddess needs him now."

_Son of Poseidon… not Neptune, _Clark began to think, _that could be it but I am not sure. The wars would describe some of the scarring but not all of it._

"What happened to this Percy? Why is he missing?" Clark asked. If the boy had beaten both Saturn and Terra… well that was more than Clark could imagine.

Thalia looked sad when she thought of what happened to Percy, "Well during the second giant war there was a fight in Rome, the original Rome. And when they were in a cave the floor had collapsed and took both Percy and his girlfriend Annabeth, two of my best friends, down to Tartarus and there was no way to stop it because the rest of the quest were busy with saving _Athena Parthenos _and they were gone. But the quest fought their way to Greece and found the doors of Death that had been opened and when they made it there Percy had made it out of Tartarus by himself, having carried an unconscious Annabeth the entire way. No one really knows what happened in the pit but it wasn't good for Percy, he wasn't the same when he got out." Thalia had a tear running down her eyes as everyone listened to her, she was one of the experts on the wars having lived in the center of the first and being close in the second leaving her as the best witness besides a few of the immortals.

"But to close the doors of Death one has to die for in as a sacrifice and Percy had to watch as a son of Hades, a boy both Percy and I saw as a little brother sacrifice himself and shut the doors on the armies of Gaia. Then as the war continued more people died, some of Percy's closest friends, his little brother Tyson and then Gaia rose when his mother and stepfather were killed at the base of Mount Olympus." Thalia had many tears running down her face now, thinking of the deaths that had happened in the war and how hard it all was, "Percy went into a rage at that killing Porphyrion by himself and made Gaia fade, both things that aren't possible for demigods. But then again Percy has always been special." Thalia gave a sad chuckle.

_Tartarus, the pits below hell… now that could have given him those scars._ Clark nodded to himself.

"I may know where this Percy is. Su and I have had a man living with us who I had guessed to be a legacy of Neptune because he had caused an earthquake in our house when he had a nightmare. This might be your Percy but the man hasn't spoken a word since he got here and has shown only fear and sadness. I believe he also has some fear of liquids because he always steers away from it and doesn't drink any water we offer him." As Clark said this all the questmates began to get excited, this could be the soldier of old that they had needed after all.

"Take us there now." Thalia nearly yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the coffee house for a few seconds before they got back to what they were doing not the yelling teenager.

"Now slow down, he is still very easily frightened running over there quickly is not what he needs, I can go and tell him we will have company and you all can come in Ellen's jeep, she knows my address and when you come over then you can see if it is him." Clark tried to negotiate, he didn't want to scare the boy, and "This would be for the best, to take it slowly."

Thalia was about to argue this when Lacy put a hand on her arm silencing her with a look of concern.

"Well I am going to take the groceries home for dinner tonight and tell Su that we will be having guests, and you all can come over in a little bit. We can talk then more about this new camp," and as he stood Clark smiled at the children and walked out, it was then that Jedidiah turned to Ellen rather quickly making her back away from him a little.

"Just how much do you know about the Roman gods? Are you one of us?" he asked.

"Well I know a good amount about them but I have no idea what 'us' you are talking about."

"He means are you a demigod like us? With your eyes I might say Pluto but I can't be sure." Lacy interrupted,

"Oh, so you are all children of gods, that is so cool." Ellen exclaimed, "But I don't really know about all of that. My mom always said I had a powerful father but never who he was so I might be one of you guys. How could I find out?"

"Well we were all claimed at younger ages, I was claimed by my mom at 8 and Jed was claimed when he arrived at 9 and there is a rule that all gods have to claim their children at the age of 13 to make everyone feel appreciated so you should have been claimed." Lacy explained.

"Have you ever seen anything floating over your head or had something appear that wasn't their before, like a gift?" Thalia asked, she had learned who her father was when he told her at a young age when he was visiting her mother again but this seems to be a different case.

"Well… no." Ellen said dejectedly, "I never got anything before and I feel like I would notice if their was something floating above my head right?"

"Generally yes, but right now all the signs are pointing to the facts that you are one of us so if you want it would be best for you to come with us to finish the quest And then we will take you to camp, maybe when you get there you will be claimed, or Chiron will know something." Jed inputted.

* * *

"Su, where are you honey?" Clark called into the house, arriving back with an arm loaded with groceries.

"We're in the kitchen dear." Su replied before turning to Percy, "Why don't you go get the rest of the food, he probably bought more than he can carry." Percy nodded and walked past Clark and out to his car to grab the bags of groceries.

But when Clark got into the house he was quick to tell Su that they would be having guests for dinner and that they might know the man. He couldn't share anything else before Percy had closed the front door and they stopped talking about him and started discussing dinner with his wife who was shocked to hear that there might be friends out there for the young man in their home.

"So son, ready to tell me your name or should I start guessing?" Clark asked jokingly.

Percy only shook his head; he was only around to help them out a little as payment for taking him in. Or at least that is what he told himself.

"Well then why don't I try, you look a little like a Peter," Percy shook his head, "Wallace?" _N_o, "Jordan?" _No_, "Harry?" _No_, "Andrew?" _No_.

This went on for a little while, Clark coming up with names and Percy shaking his head, even when Clark started some more 'creative' names, "Ghee Buttersnaps?" "Donut Holstein?" "Tangus?" All receiving shakes in the negative from Percy and remarks of not letting Clark watch television from Su.

But after about 15 minutes it came, "Percy." This one wasn't stated like a question like the other ones; more of a statement and it caused the entire kitchen to freeze. No sounds were made as both Su and Clark held their breaths.

Percy didn't know what to do because he didn't exactly want them to know his name and he was sure it wasn't going to be named but it had and now he couldn't bring himself to lie no matter how easy. He just froze in his spot not prepared for it.

"I will take it from the lack of head shaking that I either finally got it or very close so, Percy it is." Clark smiled at him and Su went back to her cooking, trying to release the tension that had just built around her.

Percy nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

Clark's grin grew, "Now we are getting somewhere." Clark's face became more serious before her continued, "You know Percy I wish you would at least talk to me. It may help you get past what ever you are stuck with now." Clark shot a look over his shoulder at Su cutting vegetables, "A very smart woman once told me that."

"Oh shush you!" Came from the kitchen where Su had heard him, "You are an incorrigible flirt. But he is right Percy, you should talk to us it would help you."

Percy shook his head, letting it out wouldn't help it would only hurt others to know what happened. No one else has to feel the pains that he has felt.

"You don't have to be a hero Percy, it isn't what you need to do. There are people that want to help you. We are just two of them." Clark tried to explain. But there was something that confused Clark greatly; when he said the word hero Percy began to shake. It looked like he was in pain and he was clutching his head making it seem like it was trying to explode.

But that is what it felt like to Percy, he couldn't explain it but he started to feel something when Clark said that they cared but it was quickly replaced by an excruciating pain in his head. And it was because of this pain that he didn't hear a young girl holler into the house as if it were home.

"Mrs. B. I smell your cooking and now I'm hungry!"

Jedidiah had never seen anything like this before, the girl was very brash at times and her behavior changed faster than the time of day. When they were driving over she had been so quiet only asking a few of the standard 'new demigod' questions before going deep in thought, but put her within 5 feet of the door and before Thalia can knock Ellen just burst through the door as if she owned the place.

When the quest mates followed Ellen in they were enthralled with a delicious smell that wafted in from another room where Ellen was heading. When Thalia walked into what she noticed was the kitchen she was met by a small elderly Chinese woman who was stuck between trying to stir something on the stove and hugging the girl wrapped around her. It brought a smile to her face as it would any other person but that smile fell when she saw a form on the couch in the adjoining sitting room across next to Clark who sat on a recliner next to the couch. The salt and pepper hair was reminiscent to Paul, the teacher that Thalia had met on a few occasions but this hair didn't belong to the dead high school english teacher but rather his stepson, and Thalia's cousin.

"Percy?" There was no response but a concerned Clark looked from the man toward the voice to see the girl, Thalia, from earlier on the brink of tears. It was emotional for her to finally to see him but he didn't respond to her. It was Lacy that came in next beaming that they had found him but then saw what he was doing and she got worried. Lacy could tell he was in pain and that he needed help. Jedidiah followed in too and saw the same thing as Lacy.

Ellen and Su followed their sight and saw Percy shaking like that and Su started to move towards the couch. It was then that Thalia broke out of her freeze and she ran towards her cousin in breakneck speed, sliding to her knees right in front of the shaking hero.

But the problem was that no one knew why he was suffering but to him it was like the Styx and sky put together crushing a burning him and even though it was in his head it was as bad as being back in the pit, all the pain. And it only got worse once Thalia tried to touch him and calm him.

Percy's head reeled back and his mouth opened up emitting a sound that could be compared to a gust on the Sahara or Tundra, no moisture. This was all he could do when his body tried to scream and it burned worse and worse.

Su saw and heard this and rushed to get a glass of water, hopefully this time he would accept and not be afraid because he needs something to drink. When Su got in front of him and offered him the glass of water it had already been 2 minutes since he had begun screaming and he didn't stop for another minute when Lacy slapped away Thalia's hand.

"No one touch him, it makes it worse." Lacy demanded in her best voice of persuasion, Lacy didn't actually have charm speech but by pushing her power into her voice she was able to persuade decently with it.

"Percy, I have some water you need to drink." Su tried to offer it to him again but he still held his head in agony.

"Perseus! Drink!" Lacy demanded using as much power as she could, and Percy did respond to that. Now it wasn't that he did what Lacy wanted which everyone in the room would have if she had said it to them but he showed recognition to hearing something and seeing the glass in front of him he did reach out with a shaky hand that when it did have the glass in hand lost a good third of the water to the floor. Percy drank as much as he could choking on the water as it went down his throat and suffering from the pain still.

But now Percy was aware of what was around him, 6 pairs of worried eyes were all staring at him and four of them were from demigods that must have come for him.

"Percy, can you hear us?" Thalia said as clearly as she could trying to break through whatever was happening to him. "Do you know what is happening to you?"

Percy shook his head which still throbbed worse than when Zeus had Athena in his cranium.

"Percy we are going to take you back to Olympus, maybe we can get you some help." Thalia explained before laying her hands on Percy again, causing a more definite scream this time. "Guys help me he is too heavy, Apollo should be able to get rid of his pain if we can get him to Olympus. If we get him outside Artemis will be able to come for us or my dad can transport us."

But as each of the questmates grabbed ahold of the in pain hero he only got louder before his body exploded in power, throwing the 4 teens away from him and into the furniture. The pain was still there but lessening but still there as Percy was able to reel in his head and look around, he had just attacked more people, just like a monster would and the pain only got worse with them around him. But when he saw Clark and Su both close to him and not affected by the show of power they only looked at him with concern.

"Thank you." It was quiet and the voice sounded more like a dying wheeze but those were the only words Percy said to the Brodi's before he jumped out the window from his seat and ran as fast as he could away from people so that maybe he wouldn't hurt them anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Now is when you let me know what you thought because I have somewhat minor or major esteem ****issues and you all need to help me out with your words. And use the long ones because they make more sense and make me feel even better. **

**And the question of the day, what is the first item in your room next to you now that you would grab if you heard a crash coming from the door? And don't be a pussy and say the phone because right now I have a vacuum cleaner that you would be surprised what damage I could do with it if I took the pipe off. **

**Okay now comment. **


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